When Angels Meet Demons
by pandapop
Summary: When the Spirit World is attacked by powerful demons, the beautiful Queen has no choice but to exhile her daughter to the human world to be reborn in disguise as a normal human to keep her safe. Years later, Koenma is reunited with is sister; HieixOC
1. Chapter 1

_**Hundreds of years ago...**_

The skies of the Spirit World glowed orange, bidding farewell to the setting sun until tomorrow. Green hills rolled for miles, and resting upon the tallest one was a large, luxurious castle. It was a glorious building with large red double doors at the entrance that swung open to welcome visitors, many windows over looking the magnificant land, and complete with lovely balconies for enjoying the weather, which was almost always perfect. On this particular evening, a beautiful woman stood on the highest balcony, staring solemnly over the rolling green hills. She was the beloved queen of this land, Queen Atsumara. As a calm wind passed through, it combed itself through her gorgeous, long royal blue hair and flowed pased her silky white gown. Her glowing amber eyes flashed her worried and somber soul.  
"Mother?" A sweet, gentle voice spoke from behind her. Queen Astumara slowly turned to view her young daughter, who almost looked like her double, besides the age difference and other slight characteristics. Her name was beautiful; Tsukiyo; it fit her perfectly. In about a year's time, she would be of the proper age, heir the princess throne along side her elder brother, Koenma, who had earned his place as Prince a handful of years before her. "Hello, dear.." The Queen spoke to her daughter before turning her gaze back out onto her land. Tsukiyo took a few strides so she was standing along side her mother, her beautiful blue gown flowing at her heels with every step.  
"What is it, mother?" Tsukiyo asked softly as she followed her mother's gaze, "Is there something wrong?" Queen Atsumara took a moment before answering her daughter.  
"Something is coming," Came her chilling reply, "I can feel it..."  
Silence fell upon the two of them as a calm, yet eerie wind passed through, as if to agree with the queen that something was indeed coming...

Late in the night, there was a series of loud crashes, waking Tsukiyo from her deep slumber with a jolt. The crashes continued, and the walls of the palace shook and felt as if they could crumble at any moment. Remembering her mother's words from earlier, Tsukiyo leapt from her bed and bounded over to her window, her silky night gown trailing behind her and falling at her mid-thigh. A bright orange glow illuminated her white curtains, pressing her to rip them open and peer outside. She gasped at what her eyes placed before her: Trees engulfed in flames, grass smoldering into piles of ash and clouds of billowing smoke. Now looking down to the ground, Tsukiyo's heart raced as she took in the most terrifying site of all; an army of demons of all shapes, sizes, and species crowded at the entrance of the castle, banging against the door in order to get inside. Each demon carried a club, a sword, a torch, or some other kind of weapon, and waved them viciously at the Spirit World's own army, who were fighting back as best they could. Tsukiyo could hear the demons laughing manically and shouting from below, which made her sick. Suddenly, a huge winged demon darted up from the ground and latched itself to her bedroom window, causing her to let out a shriek and stumble backward. For a moment, Tsukiyo was frozen in fear, staring straight into the bat demon's sickening yellow eyes. Slowly, it flashed its disgusting, slimey teeth, and ran its tongue along her window, leaving a trail of saliva behind, like snail tracks. Feeling as if she might vomit, Tsukiyo's only reaction was to turn and dart from her room and down the hallway, almost losing her footing a few times. She dashed her way to the main hall, where the Spirit World army was defending the palace, but the demons were starting to easily over power the warriors.  
"Tsukiyo!" came a shout from the staircase above. Her head jolted up, seeing the face of her older brother, Koenma. He seemed paniced, and waved for her to come up the stairs.  
"Hurry! It's not safe!" Unable to find her voice, Tsukiyo simply nodded her head, racing off up the stairs where her brother was waiting.  
"What's happening?" She demanded as they ran. She didn't know where they were going, but she just trailed along behind her brother anyway.  
"Kokoro.." Koenma panted as they stopped in a shaded nook, decently hidden away. Tsukiyo's eyes widened. She knew of Kokoro; a very powerful, very evil demon... He once worked for the Queen in the Palace, many years before she was born. Until one day, he betrayed her, killing her most beloved ogre for sidestepping him. Extremely angered, the queen had banished him to an underground prison, destined to sleep for an eternity... But it seemed her spell hadn't worked.  
"Kokoro..?" Tsukiyo hissed her repeat. Koenma nodded, showing her felt her disbelief.  
"Yes... And he's not just after revenge on our mother, Tsuki.." Koenma locked eyes with her, "He's after you, too.."  
The beautiful girl's heart sank. Kokoro.. was after her? "What? Why?" She asked, feeling fear tug at her heart and mind.  
"I don't know, sister.. But you must stay here," He gently pushed her deeper into the shadows, "I can't let anything happen to you.. I won't."  
With that he told her he would be back, and began to race off down the hall, but Tsukiyo wasn't about to let him leave her there alone. Flinging herself into the light of the hallway and making herself completely vulnerable, she shouted for her brother to come back, her eyes brimmed with tears; But her shouts were soon choked short as she felt someone, or something, grab her from behind, wrapping one huge meaty arm around her neck, and the other around her midsection. It was almost impossible for her to breath.  
"There you are, princess.." A menacing voice slithered into her ear, followed by a sick chuckle, "Lord Kokoro will indeed be pleased.." "LET HER GO!" Koenma shouted, having turned around at the noise behind him. "PUT HER DOWN, YOU FILTHY BEAST!" He began to dart at the demon, who rasied one razor sharp claw to his sister's throat. She let out a strangled whimper.  
"Ah, ah, ah..." The demon sneered at Koenma, stopping him in his tracks, "Not one more step. I wouldn't want to get my Lord's new wife all bloody, now would I.."  
Tsukiyo's eyes shot open.  
"Wife?" Koenma choked out, seeming shocked for a moment, but then his anger flooded back into him, spilling from his eyes. "You'll never take her.. I WON'T LET YOU!" The demon cackled, and then without warning, grasped Tsukiyo in both his gigantic hands, and slammed her up against the wall with brutal force. She let out a strained gasp, feeling all the wind leave her body. Her vision began to blurr in and out, and her hearing became fuzzy. It seemed as if her soul was parting with her for good, when a strange tingling sensation grew from within her chest, spreading to the tips of her fingers and toes. Koenma gaped at his sister as her body began to glow, her eyes seared with a bright yellow light. Her long blue hair flowed away from her body, along with her nightgown that had been ripped and torn slightly from the attack. "Tsukiyo.." He whispered as the light only became brighter, and he watched in astonishment.  
"What... What is.." The demon stared at the girl he had been sent to snatch, but slowly began to back away until he was pressed against the opposite wall. A small mark, a cresent moon, materialized on Tsukiyo's forhead, emitting beams of light; Spirit Energy. She had never exihibited any until this moment, and every demon and immortal in the building felt such great power from it, almost feeling as if they were being crushed. Tsukiyo's limp body began to pulsate, and finally her back arched as the Spirit Energy came to a peak, flooding from her body like sun beams. The demon let out a shriek, dissolving in the sheer power; being only a class C. Koenma shaded his eyes as his sister's body sprouted large, extravagant wings; those of an angel. She continued to burn brightly.  
Downstairs, the demons disintigrated one by one. Every last one was gone completely in a matter of moments.  
"My daughter.." The Queen said to herself amoungst all the noise, "It's happening.." She dashed upstairs, feeling the energy sink back inside her daughter's body. She'd known this day was coming, but she hadn't known so soon... There was only one thing she could do, although it would pain her to do so...

When Queen Atsumara reached them, Koenma had cradled Tsukiyo in his arms, her wings tucked behind her back, and her head limply laying against his chest. Her body still held a faint glow, the cresent moon on her forehead glowing the brightest of all. "Mother.." Koenma spoke softly as he looked up at the Queen. She knelt in front of him. "What's happening..?"  
Queen Atsumara said nothing, but just reached out and gently touched her daughter's face. It was warm and soft. Tears filled the mother's eyes. She gently removed a beautiful pendant from her neck, ripping it from its chain. "Lay her on the floor, my son." The Queen spoke strongly. Koenma nodded and followed his mother's orders. She layed the pendant on her daughter's chest and pressed her palms against it.  
"This is the Heart of the Elements.." Queen Atsumara whispered as her palms began to glow. She closed her eyes and seemed to be in deep concentration. Koenma watched, glancing from his mother's face to her hands on his sister's chest, and when she moved them, the pendant was gone. He looked at her questioningly. She just smiled back sadly.  
"It's time." She spoke, placing her hand on her son's cheek. A tear slid down her face, "We must let her go."  
"Let her go..?" Koenma whispered. He fought the tears, he loved his sister very much. He didn't want to let her go. "What do you mean..?"  
"They know of her power now.. She was destined to hold the Heart of the Elements, and my time is done.." the Queen let out her breath. "It's time for her to go.. It's not safe for her here. My life's energy was meant to send her to a different land, to preserve her life."  
Koenma felt a deep pain in his heart, knowing that in a short time he would lose his sister and his mother. He couldn't fight the tears any longer. She began speaking. "When the time comes, you will find her again.. I will send her to the ningenkai, to be reborn in disguise as a normal human.. then you must wait until she turns the human age of eighteen. Her spirit energy will peak then, and Kokoro will not hesitate to hunt her down. You must protect her at all costs."  
Koenma nodded in understanding. The Queen instructed him to lift her, and bring her to the roof of the palace. He followed her in silence, tears dripping from his chin and falling gently onto Tsukiyo's forhead, but she didn't wake.

They arrived on the roof, tall above the fields, which looked barron and defeated, still smoldering with flames that were near dying out. He placed her softly on the ground, his hand brushing against the softness of her new wings. Her mother then stepped toward him, wrapping her graceful arms around him.  
"I love you so much, my son.." She whispered into his ear, placing her hand on the back of his head, "I'll always be here with you.. Make me proud with your rulings.."  
"I love you too, mother..." Koenma sobbed, "I love Tsukiyo, too.."  
"I know, dear.. She loves you very, very much.." A few tears escaped from her eyes, but her voice never wavered, "But it's time to let go.."  
With that, she stepped away from her son, kneeling by her daughter's side. She placed her hands an even space apart from each other above Tsukiyo's body, and remained in deep concentration. After a few moments, Tsukiyo's body began to glow a solid pink color, and she was materialized into a small orb of light. As the orb drifted away, the Queen began to twinkle. She opened her eyes and gave one last loving gaze to her son, before dissolving into the air and fading away on the clouds.  
"I'll love you forever, my son..." Her voice echoed one last time as the glittery dust drifted away for good. Knowing it was all over, and that he was alone, Koenma sat down on the roof of the palace, and cried every single tear he had left. But in his heart, he knew he would see his sister again someday, and it was the only thing that kept him going.

_**Several years down the road...**_

A young mother layed in her hospital bed, her eager husband by her side. Their hands were intertwined, and the woman's short dark hair was damp with sweat, sticking to her forehead. "This waiting in unbearable.." The man groaned, and his wife squeezed his hand in reassurance.  
"I hear someone coming.." She whispered, her lovely grey eyes lighting up in anticipation.  
Right on que, the door to her hospital room slowly swung open, and a nurse dressed in white slowly walked in, craddling a small bundle in her arms.  
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Matsumoto." She greeted them. "Would you like to meet your new baby girl?" The coulple was at a loss for words as they smiled eagerly, nodding their heads. The nurse handed the baby to the mother, and walked out of the room to give them privacy.  
"She's beautiful, Yumi.." said the father of the brand new baby. He brushed her soft blue hair from her forehead, and she opened her eyes, a shocking amber color. They glistened in the light, causing her parents to gasp.  
"Let's name her..." Yumi paused, thinking of a name. They'd promised to be spontaneous. "Tsukiyo."  
"Tsukiyo?" The father, Kota, smiled at the name. "Where'd you get that from?"  
Yumi shrugged and gently passed the baby to the father, giving him a chance to hold her.  
"I don't know, it just came to me.."

_**to be continued...**_


	2. Chapter 2

The last five minutes at the end of a school day always seem the longest, especially on a Friday.  
Especially on the Friday that you turn 18.  
I sat in my seat in my English class; far left corner, very last row; Just staring at the clock as the seconds ticked passed. 1:58. I sighed to myself and forced my gaze away and out the window I sat next to. I flipped through my notebook a bit, absent mindedly looking at nothing. I glanced up at the clock. 1:59. I sighed more loudly this time and layed my head on my desk.  
Finally! The clock struck 2:00, and I was the first one out the door, despite being the farthest one away from it. It was my 18th birthday that night, the most important night of my young life, the night I'd been looking forward to ever since I turned 17. My best friends Kiki, Lyoko, & Rin had promised me a night out on the town, and I just wanted to hurry home, get my stuff together, and head off to Rin's house so all four of us could get ready.

Hi, my name's Tsukiyo Matsumoto, and I'm just your average High School girl from Tokyo, Japan. I go to Sarayashiki High School, and I guess you could say I'm the stereotypical "nice girl". I get good grades, all A's and B's, and I can get along with almost anyone. I'm on the volleyball team and I've played the guitar and sang for about eight years. I have a good amount of good friends, but Rin, Lyoko, and Kiki have always been my best friends, ever since elementary. Like I said, I'm just your average girl, about to turn 18 on a Friday night.

I hurried through the crowded halls of Sarayashiki High School, a sea of blue uniforms. I muttered "excuse me"'s as I pushed through the last wall of people, power walked through the large courtyard, rounded the corner of the gate, and... SLAM. I walked right into something solid, another body. Taken by surprise, I lost my footing and fell to the ground with a muffled "thud". My books unleashed themselves from my brown backpack and skidded across the sidewalk. Great.  
"Oww.." I groaned to myself, rubbing my backside that I had landed on.  
"You should really watch where you're going." A voice snapped from above me. The next thing I knew, a hand was extended out in front of me, causing me to look up at the face of the body it belonged to. I found myself staring into the deep brown eyes of a familiar face; Yusuke Urameshi, the school's outcast. The stereotypical "tough guy" that every guy was afraid of whether he admitted it or not, and that every girl thought was mysterious and sexy. I blinked blankly a few times. I was surprised he was actually offering to help me up.  
"God damn, girl, are you gonna take my hand or not?" He suddenly barked at me, furrowing his brow, "I don't have all day. Places to go, people to see, let's get movin'."  
I guess my surprise wasn't for nothing. I blinked once more then furrowed my own brow a bit before taking his hand. "Uh.. yea, sorry." I said, trying not to provoke anything that might make him angry. "Thanks."  
He pulled me up off the ground, then let go of my hand and stuck it in his pocket, along with the other hand in the opposite pocket. There was an awkward pause before I glanced at the ground and remembered my books had been scattered in the fall. I sighed and bent down to pick them up. I grasped my Algebra book and my Chemistry book, but before I had time to snatch my History book, Yusuke's hand covered it first.  
"Here." He said, somewhat softer now, as he handed me the book. I thanked him as I took it, tucking all three books back into my backpack.  
"Sorry about bumping into you." I said to him, feeling my face flush the slightest bit. Yusuke just shrugged his shoulders and gave me a small smirk.  
"Don't worry about it." He assured me, "Don't be such an airhead and it won't happen again."  
I smiled a bit, recognizing the joke in his tone. He then nodded and walked past me, giving a simple, one motion wave of his hand. "See ya around."  
"See ya.." I waved back, turning and watching his back as he walked past the school gate, and then around the corner at the end of the street.  
I smiled to myself before turning and heading in my own direction. That Yusuke Urameshi kid wasn't near as bad as the rumors made him out to be.

"Wow, we all look so cute!" Lyoko gushed as the four of us stood in Rin's room, all dolled up for our night out. We'd spent about an hour and a half getting everything just perfect, trying on outfit after outfit, hairstyle after hairstyle, and at least ten shades of eyeshadow each.  
I'd decided on a short, form fitting, sleaveless dress and a pair of red strappy high heels, with some smokey eye makeup and a nude lipgloss.  
"You look HOT, Tsuki," Rin said as she winked at me from her reflection in her vanity. She was putting the finishing touches on her hair, that was worn up on a ponytail of black curls, her light brown eyes bordered with black eyeliner and mascara. Her outfit was simple, a pair of tight jeans, black stilettos, and a white halter top.  
Next to Rin's bed, Kiki was helping Lyoko clasp a silver chain with a star pendant around her neck. Kiki's hair was short, only falling down to her chin, so there wasn't much she could do with it. Her make up was light, just a little bit of mascara and pink lipgloss, and she wore a jean skirt, wedge heels that laced up her calf, and a deep green v-neck t-shirt. Lyoko's outfit was definitely the most outrageous; a hot pink midriff showing tube top, a short white skirt that hugged her butt, and a pair of brown zip up boots. Her long, forrest green hair was done in luxurious curls, and her make up consisted of blue eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, and pink lipstick. It was a lot at once, but somehow she managed to make it work.  
After some final touch ups and talking Lyoko out of changing her whole outfit, we climbed into Rin's cute little Nissan Sentra, pulled out of her driveway, and zipped off down the road to Club Makii.

I couldn't keep the smiles and giggles away as we climbed out of the car infront of the booming club. "There's no question," I squealed, "This is definitely going to be my best birthday, ever!" Somehow I managed to jump up and down in my tall red heels. The girls laughed at my excitement.  
"You're gonna love it, Tsuki!" Kiki assured me with a huge smile, "This club's the best."  
"I think I'm really gonna enjoy it, too.." Lyoko shared her opinion as she eyed a very attractive boy who had just passed by. She nudged Rin and they each checked out his rear, pretending to reach out and smack or grab it. I laughed out loud.  
"Promise me something, Tsuki," Rin said, seeming serious as she walked over to me and placed both hands on my shoulders, "If a cute boy flirts with you, go for it!"  
Lyoko and Kiki agreed, but I just laughed and shrugged Rin's hands off my shoulders.  
"You guys know dating never really has been my thing.." I sighed, "I'm just not interested. Plus, I'm so awkward, I wouldn't even know what to do."  
"Awkward?" Lyoko screeched.  
"Do you see yourself?" Kiki chimed in, waving her arms up and down my body dramatically. "You're hot. SMOKING hot."  
Rin and Lyoko nodded. I rolled my eyes.  
"Come OOONN, Tsukiyo!" Rin groaned, "Add some adventure to your life! A little spice, a little dash of-"  
"Okay, okay!" I giggled and held my hands up in defense. "If a guy flirts with me, I'll give it a shot. But no set ups." I glared at them, making that part very clear, and they all agreed.  
"Well what are we waiting for?" Lyoko cheered, "Tsuki isn't the only one waiting for a guy! Let's get going!"

The wait in the long line wasn't as excruciating as it could have been, and it really helped when Lyoko caught the bouncer's eye. She put on her flirting charm.  
"We've been waiting in this long line for such a looong time.." She said in her flirtatious, pouty voice. She smiled at the bouncer and ran her pointer finger down his huge chest. "Me and my girlfriends are really thirsty.. Do you think you could let us in so we can get some drinks..?"  
That was all it took to get us inside before at least 150 other people. Being a girl really had its perks, especially when you had a best friend that knew how to use her features, and use them well. The drinks were colorful and mixed in fancy mixers, but were nonalcoholic. Still, they were served in martini glasses with little umbrellas, and that was good enough for me.  
"Oh my god," I gushed as I gulped down my entire first drink. "These are SO good. What are these called?"  
"Something like a Hawaiien Sunrise," Rin said with a shrug, sipping hers. Soon we'd gone through three drinks each, and were halfway through our fourth ones when a funky, upbeat club song came on.  
"Oh!" Kiki piped up over the pumping beat, "I love this song!" She began to bob back and forth in her chair, pumping her fists in the air. We all giggled at her.  
"Let's go dance!" Lyoko called out to all of us, who quickly agreed.  
But before we could get up from our table, someone emerged from the crowd, making a B-line for us. Or me, specifically.  
He was tall, and well built. His skin was the perfect shade of tan, his eyes a contrasting ice blue. His long blonde hair fell over his face in just the right places, adding a sexy and mysterious feel to his whole look. His white button up shirt and black pants through the entire look together.  
"Hello," He spoke to me after greeting my friends with a polite smile and nod, "Would you like to dance?" He bowed to me slightly and held out his hand, waiting for me to take it or reject his offer.  
I blushed madly as my mouth hung open a bit. I quickly shut it and darted my eyes toward my friends who just motioned for me to go for it, huge toothy grins plastered on all of their faces.  
"Go!" Mouthed Kiki. So I turned my wide-eyed gaze back to the handsome man, who had to be at least 20 years old, nodded meekly, and took his hand. Once he led me out to the dance floor, we jived to the beat, and then he leaned in to speak into my ear.  
"You're beautiful, you know," He said to me, causing my cheeks to burn once more, "What's your name?"  
"Tsukiyo," I blurted out. I hadn't even thought to give a fake name, just to be safe. It was too late now. "Pretty,"  
"Yours?"  
"Kyame." He pulled away from my ear and smiled at me. His teeth were perfect and pearly white. This guy was drop dead gorgeous, and I was getting jelous stares from girls all around me. It was a bit intimidating, but I loved it at the same time. At that moment I just let loose and danced like I'd never danced before, grinding my backside into Kyame's hips slightly as the beat started to jirate a bit more. I looked over my shoulders and wiggled my eyebrows at him in a joking way, and he laughed. We danced the rest of the song, and about a third of the way through the next one, before I leaned up to his ear and told him I was thirsty and that I would be right back. He grabbed my wrist before I could make my way back to the table to get my drink, and I gave him a questioning look. He craned his neck in the direction of the table.  
"It looks like a waiter already cleared your drinks." He said to me, "I'll go get you a new one. What were you drinking?"  
"Hawaiien Sunrise I think?" I replied, not so sure of the name of the drink, "Something like that."  
"Okay." He winked at me and headed off to the bar. I waited and danced a bit to myself before Kyame was back with a fresh drink, and it looked so good. I was dying of thirst.  
I gulped it down in a few sips, placed it down on the floor, not thinking that it might get broken, and continued to dance flirtatiously to the music with Kyame. After a minute or so, I started to get very tired. The lights in the club started to swirl and become fuzzy, and the music started blending together.  
"Are you alright, Tsukiyo?" I heard Kyame ask me, seeming concerned. I could feel his hands on my shoulders, but he sounded a million miles away, and his face kept shapeshifting. I heard myself say I needed to find my friends. He didn't hear me. Why was this happening? There was no alcohol in the drinks, I couldn't be drunk. Was I just exhausted from the heat? No, this was far too strange to just be a little weakness. Suddenly I felt my arm being tugged, and my feet stumbling across the floor in my heels, bumping into people every which way.  
"Kyame.." I muttered, but the music was too loud. I couldn't even hear my own voice. Suddenly, I layed eyes on the table my friends and I had been sitting at. All the drink were still sitting there, half full, just as we'd left them. My heart skipped a beat. I struggled to life my head up at Kyame, and from what I could see, his expression was determined. He was pulling me to the back of the club, heading towards the men's bathroom.  
He had drugged me.  
I struggled to pull my arm free, but there was no use. I was merely flopping my hand against his, trying to pry my arm away. He began to speak to me, but I couldn't understand what he was saying. All I could tell was his tone was completely different, and finally he thrust me into the bathroom. I landed on my front side, and I could see no feet under the stalls. No one to help me. I tried to scream, but nothing but a small, hoarse groan escaped my lips. "Would you like to do something fun, Tsukiyo.." Kyame whispered above me. I could hear him better now but my hearing was still foggy. I was terrified. He knelt down to me and flipped me over on my back, pinning me to the ground. "Lord Kokoro's orders were to bring you straight to him, but I think I should have a bit of fun first.."  
In my fuzzy vision, I could see him shapeshifting. Tears filled my eyes as I watched his skin turn a dark maroon color and turn leather like a football. Horns sprouted from his head, and his teeth turned sharped and filed down. His tounge split and his shirt ripped, revealing terrifying muscles. His hands turned into meaty claws, as did his feet, destroying the designer shoes he'd been wearing. Now I lay on the bathroom floor, pinned by some monsterous creature that looked like something from a horror movie. Kyame laughed at my terrified expression. He then slid a hand down my leg, causing me to wail out a sob. His claws scraped my skin, drawing blood, as he led them upwards to my most vulnerable area.  
"Please, stop, please.." I begged him through slurred sobs and coughs. I felt his hot, stick drool drip onto my bare chest, and felt as if I would puke. He said nothing as he leaned down and licked my cheek, causing me to shiver.  
Suddenly, there was a burning, tingling feeling traveling through out my whole body. I began to tremble. I thought it was a side affect of the drugs, but Kyame began to act strangely.  
"Oh, no.." He said to himself, sounding fearful, "Kokoro warned me of this.. I'm sorry, my lord, I only meant fun.." He began to plead for his life, but his "lord" was no where near.. I had no idea what was going on. At that moment, I felt a jolt race through my body, as if I'd stuck a fork in a light socket. A bright light flashed through out the bathroom, and I heard myself scream. My body felt as if it were on fire. I heard Kyame's voice utter a horrible screech, and then it was gone. I heard the walls crumble and explode around me, and people screaming on the dancefloor. The burning sensation became worse and worse, seeming to come from an area in my chest. I felt my body rise off the ground a bit as if there was a magnetic field below me, and it felt as if something was tearing itself from my back. I felt the softness of feathers...  
*What's happening to me..* I thought to myself as another jolt passed through me. I wailed in pain. I just wished for death to relieve me.  
Finally, I felt arms wrap around me, and the burning sensation died down, releasing my body from its grip. "I've got you now.." A soothing voice said from above me. The last thing I saw before my eyes fluttered shut was a flash of red hair and green eyes.  
"Let's get her back to the Spirit World, fast.." Another voice spoke, sounding like an echo as I faded out of conciousness.  
*Yusuke..?*

_**to be continued...**_


	3. Chapter 3

***  
"I love you so much, my son.. I'll always be here with you.. Make me proud with your rulings.."  
"I love you too, mother... I love Tsukiyo, too.."  
"I know, dear.. She loves you very, very much.. But its time to let go.."  
Voices spoke above me, a man's and a woman's. They sounded sad. My back was laying against something cold an rough; concrete... But I felt something plus cradling my body. Cotton? No... Feathers. I felt a presence kneel by my side, and I suddenly felt warm and light. I was finally able to lift my heavy eyelids... A beautiful woman looked upon me from above, her hands placed over my body, glowing a soft pink color. She had long blue hair, shimmering gold eyes brimmed with tears, and flawless pocelain skin... She looked exactly like me, as if I was staring into a mirror.  
I tried to speak, but my vocal cords were frozen. Before I could reach up and touch the woman's face, my body was whisked into the sky, floating high into the night clouds, and slow the woman faded into nothing...

My eyes snapped open and I drew in a sharp breath, sitting upright. I placed my hand on my chest, covering my racing heart.  
"Such a weird dream..." I muttered to myself. As my now clear eyes scanned around my surroundings, I realized I had no idea where I was, and even less of an idea how I got there. The room was simple and looked like a waiting room for a doctor's office; The walls were a pale, clean yellow color, the carpet was tan, and the chairs and couches arranged around the room were blue and made of a soft, velvet like fabric. There was also a coffee table in front of the couch I was resting on, and a few end tables, but nothing on them. I looked down at my feet and realized my red heels were missing, and there was gaping holes ripped in the back of my black dress, ruining it.  
"What... happened..?" I wondered quietly to myself as I reached behind me back and felt the skin that was exposed, that was a bit tender for reasons unknown. Then, as if someone had pulled a trigger, my memory of the previous night came flooding back to me; My birthday, my friends, dancing at the club with Kyame, the drugs, lying on the bathroom floor... That flash of red hair, green eyes and... Yusuke's voice? I was completely confused. I started to get nervous. What if Kyame had taken my somewhere? What if I was in some holding room in some abandoned factory, miles away from home? Well, this room seemed a little nice to be in an abandoned factory, but it was still a possibility...  
"Oh, god.." I moaned, trying to find a way out. The only one was through a door at the other side of the room. I leapt up off the couch, making my way to the door as soon as I regained my footing. I still felt a bit light headed. I did not want to become the story for the next murder mystery movie. "I'll just go check on her, Koenma, sir." A bubbly female voice came from the other side of the door. She sounded about ten steps away. My breath caught in my throat as I bounded back to the couch and sat down, making it seem like I'd never gotten up. A waited a few seconds, and my stomach fluttered as the door opened slowly. A girl that looked to be about my age, a little older maybe, poked her head in the door. She had powder blue hair tied up in a ponytail, and bright purple eyes. She smiled when she saw me.  
"Oh, good, you're awake!" She said in the same bubbly tone I'd heard from behind the door. She then danced into the room, carrying an armful of clothes, shutting the door with her foot. The sound was a little louder than I'd expected, so I flinched a bit. I hoped she didn't notice.  
"You've been out for quite a while, deary," The girl giggled as she sat on the coffee table in front of me. "My name's Botan!" She set the clothes on the table and extended her hand. I looked at it for a moment, then slowly grasped it and shook it slightly.  
"I'm.. Tsukiyo.." I replied skeptically. "Uh.. where am I, exactly?" "Oh, all of your questions will be answered soon enough," Botan assured me, "There's someone that wants to talk to you. Here, change into these fresh clothes and I'll send him in shortly."  
Botan handed me the piles of clothes, then jumped up from the table, telling me there would be a knock before anyone came in again. I nodded, and she left after waving to me cheerfully. I blinked at the door a moment, wondering if she was always that joyful. I looked down at what she'd given me to change into; a yellow t-shirt and a pair of white sweatpants. I stood up, glancing at the door quickly to make sure no one was coming in, and scanned the room for cameras. Seeing nothing, I changed out of my destroyed dress and put on the new clothes as quickly as I could. The shirt and sweatpants were extremely soft and comfortable, making me feel as if I could drift right back to sleep.  
"Well.. Guess all there is left to do is wait." I spoke aloud to no one but myself as I plopped back down on the couch. I suddenly felt a sense of calm, like I was safe here. There was something inside me that knew I wasn't going to be hurt. After a minute or so, there was a knock on the door.  
"Are you dressed now, Tsukiyo?" Botan's cheery voice came from the other side.  
"Uh, y-yea, everything's good." I stammered. "You can come in."  
But when the door opened, it wasn't Botan. In walked a tall man, looking maybe about 21 or 22. He wore luxurious looking japanese robes of blues and yellows, with a billowing red cape that wrapped around his neck like a scarf. He had shiney brown hair that fell perfectly into place, and strangely enough he had the word "JR." tattooed on his forehead in black, and a blue binky in his mouth. But his most striking features were his eyes... shocking gold... just like mine. Just like that woman in my dream. I was slightly taken aback, just staring into the golden orbs. They softened as they fell upon me, and for a moment we just sat in silence.  
"...Hello, Tsukiyo.." He finally spoke in a very soft and gentle tone. My eyes widened a bit as I felt my stomach flutter.  
"I love you too, mother... I love Tsukiyo, too.."  
It was the same voice from my dream, the man's voice. I knew it, I was positive.  
"That voice.." I muttered to myself. The man didn't seem to notice.  
"My name is Koenma." He said to me, bowing slightly. I returned the gesture to be polite. "May I sit down?" "Oh.." His question took me by surprise, and I looked around at the chairs. "Yea, of course.. go ahead."  
He took a few strides toward a chair that was placed next to the couch I was seated on. There was another moment of silence. I looked at my hands, feeling a bit awkward and nervous. Koenma took a deep breathe, and exhaled.  
"Tsukiyo..." He began. I didn't look up at him. He paused, seeming to search for words. Finally, he dug into the pocket of his robes. "I need to show you something.." He pulled out a small square of shiny paper; a photograph. He held it out to me.  
"What's this..?" I asked as I slowly reached up, taking hold of the smooth paper.  
"Just take a look," Koenma nodded toward the picture. I looked down at the photo in my hands, and instantly my eyes widened and my stomach dropped. The first person I saw was the beautiful woman from my dream. She was smiling softly, seeming very warm and loving. Next to her was Koenma, also smiling. The third person I saw was...  
"What...?" I gasped, taking a closer look. "That's... that's me..!"  
And it was. There I sat, in front of Koenma and the woman, smiling joyfully. I was wearing a lovely blue gown that looked to be made of a luxurious fabric. My hair was long and dark, falling over my shoulders, and my eyes were piercing.  
"Yes.." Koenma said softly, nodding. "That is you, Tsukiyo. And that's me, and that's our mother, Queen Atsumara."  
At this point, my head snapped up to him, my eyes wide as saucers.  
"What? OUR mother..? Whoa," I dropped the photo, not wanting to touch it. It was giving me the creeps. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. That can't be me, that can't be... OUR mother... you're not my brother..!" I babbled on, "I-I-I have... I have a mom... my dad lives in America! My real brother goes to University of Tokyo.." My voice trailed off. "But that girl in the picture..."  
"She's you, Tsukiyo.." Koenma said, moving his position to the couch next to me. I stared at the floor. "I'm your real brother.. That is your real mother.."  
I stood up at this point, looking him in the face.  
"You're wrong. I love my family." My voice was sharp, I felt tears sting my eyes. Koenma gazed at me sadly.  
"I know you may love your family, Tsukiyo," Koenma spoke up louder now, "But they are not your real-"  
"NO!" I started to feel angry. "No..."  
"Tsukiyo.." Koenma gently took my wrist, tugging me down to the couch again, "Please, let me explain. I know this seems impossible, but it's the truth.. Just hear me out, I'll explain everything you need to know.."  
I took a deep breath, exhaled, and nodded.  
"Okay.. I'm listening." Koenma then began embelishing on a very elborate story of royalty, telling me that a few hundred years ago, I was heir to be Princess of the Spirit World, where we are now, and that he was the Prince, and still is. He went on to tell me that the kingdom had been attacked by a powerful army, led my Kokoro; I remembered Kyame saying that name, saying that Kokoro was his "lord".  
"They were after your power, Tsukiyo, they could sense your power was due to be awakened.." He furrowed his brow, seeming to be getting angry, "Kokoro wanted you to be his wife.. And he's still after you, to this day."  
Koenma told me that after my supernatural powers had been displayed in the halls of the Spirit World Palace, our mother had decided it was no longer safe for me here. She'd told him to bring my body to the roof, and she had used the last of her life's energy to send me to earth in the form of a human embryo.  
"Your soul floated inbetween worlds for about one hundred and fifty years before implanting itself in a human mother's womb.." He told me, wrapping up his story. "You were born in disguise. Your human parents were somewhat like suragates."  
"So what you're saying is.. I'm not human." I said flatly. It sounded so weird, almost like a joke, but at this point I knew everything was serious. Koenma simply nodded.  
"Since you've turned the human age of 18, your powers have broken through the barrior protecting them from being detected, leaving you vulnerable. You cannot keep living your normal life, it's unsafe."  
He paused, allowing me to soak up this information.  
"The club bathroom.." I whispered, looking up at him with sad eyes. "That's what happened in the club bathroom."  
"Yes."  
"Oh, my god.."  
"Our mother told me that day to keep track of you, and bring you back here on your 18th birthday. You have a home now in the human world with the Spirit Detectives, who will keep you safe, and train you to control your powers."  
"But.. what about my mom and dad..? And my friends..? They'll be worried.." I asked, learning to except this was my new life, as much as I didn't want to believe it. I wanted nothing more then to wake up, have it be Saturday, and be on my way to Lyoko's, or Rin's, or Kiki's. That wasn't the case.  
"Your suragate family's memories were on somewhat of a time clock, as well as your friends, teachers... It sounds very harsh, but anyone that's ever known the human Tsukiyo, their memories of you have been erased.." He sighed, "That's just how it was meant to be.. Your place is here."  
I shook my head, letting the tears fall freely. I never thought I'd never see my mother or father again.  
"In time, your memory of them will slowly fade. Our mother would never want your life to be painful." Koenma put his hand on my shoulder. "All your stuff is in your room at the team house, I hope you'll be comfortable there."  
I nodded through my tears. Koenma paused hesitantly, but then gently pulled me into an embrace.  
"You may not want to believe it, and it may not feel like it for a long while, but you are my little sister, and I will do all I can as a brother to make you comfortable and happy.. I promise this will get easier."  
I tried to hold back the sobs, but it wasn't so easy. Koenma rubbed my back and I found it somewhat soothing. He gave me a moment to regain my composure.  
"Well, it's about 11:30 in the human world.." Koenma said, looking up at the ceiling, then turning his gaze toward me. "I guess we should get you home to the team house.. you need some sleep."  
It was weird to hear him call the "team house" my home... but then again, there was nothing normal about not being human.  
"Here we go." Koenma said, leading me out the door.  
I followed him without a word, leading myself down the path of my new life.

To be continued... 


	4. Chapter 4

"This is the team house..?" I asked in bewilderment as we arrived at my new home via spirit portal, which was less than fun for me. I'd spent at least two minutes sitting on the ground trying to overcome my disneyness, while Koenma tried to muffle his snickers. He'd told me that I'd get used to portal travel over time.  
"This would be it." My new brother replied to my question. "Are you ready to meet your house mates?"  
"Yea.. Let's go." I said softly, still feeling like this was a bit of a dream. Koenma placed his hand on my shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze before leading me up the front steps of the house, which was huge and had a victorian style. The front porch we were standing on was off the ground, led up by two or three stairs, and shaded with a portion of the roof, and there was a wooden swing at the end of the it. The house had a nice location, on a few acres of land, away from everyone but close enough to town if we needed something. Not bothering to knock, Koenma opened the deep red door and I followed him inside the house, shutting the door softly behind me. I found myself standing in a grand forier, with shiny wood floors, a glorious rug and huge chandelier up above, casting down soft, warm light. There was a long table at the back of the room decorated with potted plants, and there was some mail scattered on the surface.  
"Tsukiyo," Koenma's voice snapped me out of my trance. When I looked at him, he was standing at the end of the hall, waving me over to him.  
"Sorry," I apologized as I walked over to him. As I neared, I could here the sounds of a TV program, people chatting, and someone clammering around in the kitchen. I stood next to Koenma and took a moment to gaze out into the house. All the rooms were sort of blended together but were still distinct. The living room was fairly large but still had a cozy feel, decorated with two large, dark brown, comfy looking sectional couches that matched the light brown walls, reminding me of hot chocolate. There was a large TV, commercials were playing. I could see a variety of game systems, and a huge selection of movies in the cabinets next to the TV. In the dining area, there was a long oak table wit decorative table settings, and next to the dining area was the open kitchen, with marbel counter tops, wooden cabinets, and stainless steel fridge and sink. On the couches sat four people I recognized and one I did not; There was Yusuke Urameshi and his girlfriend, Keiko Yukimura, a sweet, pretty girl with shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes, Kazuma Kuwabara, Yusuke's bestfriend, Botan, the girl from earlier, and a shy looking girl with pretty turquoise colored hair tied back in a red ribbon, and crimson red eyes. In the kitchen, I could see a tall boy with long red hair and green eyes. He was very attractive, almost pretty. I instantly remembered the flash of red and green from the night at the club. When Koenma started to speak again, it startled me a bit.  
"Hello, everyone." He said, sounding very professional. Everyone turned their attention to us, focussing on me. Keiko blinked at me as if she was surprised to see me, but smiled. I smiled back shyly, which was strange because I had been friends with Keiko. Kuwabara and Yusuke grinned a bit and waved at me, so I felt I needed to wave back.  
"As I spoke to you all earlier, this is Tsukiyo." He gestured to me, and I waved awkwardly. "She will be your new house mate."  
"Your sister sure is pretty, Koenma.." Kuwabara gushed, drooling, as if I wasn't even there. I rolled my eyes. Yusuke slapped him upside the head.  
"You do know Yukina's sitting RIGHT HERE?" Yusuke said, motioning to Yukina, the girl with the crimson colored eyes, who just smiled sweetly. I assumed she was his girlfriend. Kuwabara quickly looked ashamed, and he apologized to her.  
"Tsukiyo, this is-"  
"Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko, Botan, and... Yukina." I said, naming each person on the couch. "I go to... well, went to school with Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Keiko. I met Botan earlier, and I just learned Yukina's name now." I was surprised I was talking so much. "But I don't know you." I gestured to the red haired boy in the kitchen, who just smiled at me. He placed the dish rag and pan down that he was washing, and glided over to me, taking long even strides. He took my hand in his and gently kissed it, causing me to flush.  
"My name is Suichi Minamino, but please call me Kurama. It's lovely to finally meet you, Tsukiyo." He nodded to me politely, and I nodded back.  
"It's.. nice to meet you too, Kurama.." I said, swallowing hard. He was so charming. Koenma then cleared his throat loudly, getting everyone back on track.  
"Well I suppose now that you're all acquainted- wait, where's Hiei?"  
"Ah, who knows," Yusuke said, flipping through channels on the TV. He put his arm around Keiko. "Probably holed up in his room or outside hanging in a tree somewhere. Where else would Hiei be."  
"Well, you'll come across him sooner or later, I'm sure." Koenma assured me. "Why don't I show you up to your room, Tsukiyo?"  
I nodded in agreement and followed my brother up the tall stair case. The upstairs was divided into two wings, boys and girls. My room was at the end of the hall on the right, next to Botan's and across from Yukina's. Koenma then left me to get settled in, seeing as he had to get back to the Spirit World to take care of some business. He gave me a farewell hug, telling me he'd be here in a second if I ever needed him.  
"Thank you, Koenma." I said to him sincerely. He smiled and nodded, flowing down the hall, and down the stairs. I turned to my door, and wrapped my hand around the knob. Twisting it and pushing the door open, I peered inside, but it was too dark to see. As I flipped on the light, I gasped; the room was gorgeous. The main color was purple, and it looked very elegant. The floors were hardwood with one simple white rug. The walls were a light purple color, and there was a small white couch in the far right corner of the room. In the middle of the left wall was a full sized bed, complete with purple bedspread, pillows, and sheets, and an elegant brown headboard. on the back wall was a series of windows that latched open and pushed outward, and I could see the branches of trees swaying on the outside, a good view of the forrest on the house's property. Draped on the window were flowing purple curtains, and next to the window was a small, round table with a purple table cloth, pretty white chair, and ontop of the table was a small lamp, and some decorative picture frames. There was an end table with a matching lamp to the right of the bed, and some decorative pictures on the wall above the bed. The room was definitely fit for a princess. I walked by my bed, running my hand across the bedspread; nice, cool satin.  
"Well, I guess I should test it out." I said to myself with a grin, flopping down on my brand new bed. "Ahh, so comfy.." I closed my eyes just for a moment, thinking back on all the events that had occured in the last 48 hours. I could feel myself fighting sleep.  
"Stay awake, Tsukiyo, stay awake.." I heard myself order. But it was in vain, because before I knew it, I had drifted into peaceful slumber atop my brand new satin bed.

I was startled awake a few hours later by the sound of branches scraping against the grass. I yawned and peered at the digital clock on my end table; 5:09. I rubbed my eyes and pushed myself off my bed, looking out the window. It was very window outside and looked as if it might storm. Feeling thirsty, I decided to go downstairs to get a drink. I opened my door only to be greeted my pitch blackness. I blinked hard a few times to try and adjust, but it didn't help. I squinted down the hallway, and I could see the faint moonlight trailing up the stairs. I slowly felt my way down the hallway, placing my hand on the wall, making sure not to make to much noise or wake anyone up. Finally, I reached the staircase, and there was just enough light to guide me down the stairs, through the living room, and into the kitchen. I flipped on the light switch, and let out a sharp yelp as I was greeted with a face sitting at the kitchen counter. I quickly covered my mouth with my hand, as if that we withdraw my voice back into my throat. The face I was met with was male, and looked somewhat annoyed but at the same time apathetic. His eyes were a piercing crimson red, just like Yukina's. His hair seemed to defy the laws of gravity, naturally standing upright, and was black with a white starburst in the middle. He wore a white headband across his head, and appeared to me just a bit taller than me if he would stand up. Oh, and his body was pretty much perfect, clothed with a black tank top and black sweatpants. He had a plate of left over chicken in front of him, half gnawed on.  
"Uh.. hi," I spoke to him awkwardly after a period of silence and staring between us. "You must be Hiei, huh..?" The boy just stared at me.  
"Yes, if you must know." He spat at me after a moment, gnawing on his chicken again.  
"I'm Tsukiyo." I said as I searched for the glasses. I looked in almost every cabinet and they turned up in the last possible one. I filled it with ice and water, all with no reply from Hiei.  
"What are you doing sitting down here in the dark? And so early?" I asked him out of curiousity as I leaned against the fridge. The coolness of the stainless steel caused goosebumps to rise on my skin. Hiei just glanced up at me.  
"Hn. I don't know that its any of your business," He barked at me in a somewhat bitter tone, "I like the dark." His reply was simple and his voice hinted that he didn't want me asking anymore questions, so I just came up with a simple reply.  
"Oh."  
I sipped my water in silence, and Hiei worked on his chicken. Setting down one bare bone and starting on a new one.  
"So.." I began to try and make this moment less awkward, but Hiei shot me a sharp glare, stopping me in my tracks.  
"I don't want to talk, onna." He informed me. I took that as a sign to just shut up. I didn't want to get on anyone's bad side my first night in the house. It wouldn't be good if my living here turned into the next season of "The Real World". I sighed to myself as I set my empty glass down in the sink, feeling refreshed. As I turned around, I thought I caught Hiei's eyes in my direction, but they were to quick for me, darting down to his plate. I shrugged, assuming I was just seeing things.  
"Well, it was nice meeting you, Hiei." I said as I turned the light off for him. "Good night." With that, I began to feel my way back upstairs, into my room, and back into my bed to finish my sleep for the night.

**_-Hiei's POV-_**

I had always preferred to eat in my own privacy, long after everyone in this wretched house had gone to sleep. I'd never much eaten to enjoy the food, either. More just to fuel the body. Protein. I had just sat down at the counter in the kitchen with a plate of chicken that the fox had cooked the night before. Of anyone's cooking, his was the most tolerable. I took the first bite of the meat, cold, I rarely used the microwave. Just after the first bite was chewed and swallowed, the kitchen light flickered on. I instantly felt annoyed as I turned my head to see what had caused the light, and my eyes landed on a girl. A girl I'd never seen before, but I remembered when the toddler had told us of a new house mate. I assumed this was her, and by her high levels of trapped spirit energy, I could tell that she was in no way human, despite her appearence. Upon seeing me sitting at the counter, she let out a squeal and covered her mouth. I suppose I startled her. Weakling.  
I was just about to ask her what the hell she was staring at, when she spoke to me.  
"Uh.. hi," She said in a small voice. She seemed nervous, I could sense it. "You must be Hiei, huh..?"  
I stared at her for a moment, wondering how she knew my name. One of the imbeciles in the house must have passed it around. Typical. But, no matter.  
"Yes, if you must know." I barked at her, not in the mood to be interogated. I looked down at the plate in front of me and took a few more bites of the chicken.  
"I'm Tsukiyo," The girl informed me. Her name sounded familiar now, I could distinctly remember Koenma talking about her. I also remembered feeling some sort of connection with the toddler as he told us his story, for I had also been looking for my younger sister for a number of years. I could understand the pain he had been going through, not being able to protect this girl, and I could understand the joy he must have felt when he knew he would be reunited with her. But still, that didn't change my outlook. I'm not about to gush my emotions all over the room like vomit. Emotions are for the weak, they make me sick. If I could avoid them completely, I would, but sadly its solely impossible. By the time my thought process was at its end, Tsukiyo had looked through every cabinet in the kitchen and finally found a cup. She filled it with ice, then water. Then she started with the questions again, stirring up my annoyance once more.  
"What are you doing sitting down here in the dark? And so early?" She asked me in a curious tone. She leaned against the fridge and sipped at the water while she waited for me to spark a conversation. I glanced up at her once more, noticing the goosebumps on her skin.  
"Hn. I don't know that its any of your business." I replied calmly but sharply, trying to make it clear that I was in no mood to discuss my life with her. "Oh." was all she could come up with in response. Feeling a bit relieved, I thought she was finally done speaking. Time went by, I finished a few more chicken legs, and Tsukiyo finished half her water. I could feel her eyes on me. It was irritating, but I would take that over her questions anyday.  
"So.." She spoke again, shattering the peaceful silence that I longed for. Fed up, I shot her a sharp, hateful glare, which froze her speech in her throat. "I don't want to talk, onna." He told her flat out, plain and simple. She nodded and looked down into her glass, swirling the ice around. I could see her bite the inside of her cheek. I tiny percentage of me felt guilty for snapping at this girl, but it wasn't enough to ask her to start talking about. I don't care much for others in general, but I'm not as completely heartless as most assume me to be. After a moment, Tsukiyo finished her glass of water, and turned to place her drink in the sink. Being on the short side, she had to lean over the counter a bit in order to place it flat. I could have kicked myself when I noticed my eyes drifting down the curves of her soft looking body, resting on her backside. I pulled my eyes away quickly, just as the girl turned around. For a moment I thought I'd been caught, but I could tell she hadn't noticed. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Hiei." Tsukiyo said to me as she flipped the light switch off, returning the beloved darkness to me. "Good night."  
I thought maybe I should say good night to her, but I decided against it and just smirked the smallest bit as I listened to the girl feel her way to the staircase. A moment later, I heard her door snap shut, and I placed my dishes in the sink, retiring to the men's wing of the house into my room. As I lay in my bed of black and red, the vision of this new girl's face stay plastered in my mind, and it puzzled me. There was something about her that triggered some kind of intrigue inside me, a kind of soft spot. In a way in confused me, it was a kind of feeling I'd never felt. It was similar to the way I'd felt for Yukina, just slightly different... It was even a mystery to me. But in any case, I couldn't let her or anyone else know of what was inside my head, and I'd grown very capable of masking the emotions that crossed inside me. As far as anyone else would know, I was just the same emotionless Hiei they knew, and no onna would change that.

_**To be continued...**_


	5. Chapter 5

_****Not much happens in this chapter, but was originally combined with chapter 6, and I thought it was waaay too long, so I decided to seperate them. Again, sorry for the lack of action in this chapter.****_

It felt like I had only been asleep for minutes when I woke up again, this time early morning light shone through my window. I had forgotten to shut my curtains when I'd gone to bed after my encounter with Hiei, so the room was extremely bright. I groaned and squinted at my clock, which read 7:15. "Might as well get up," I muttered to myself after lying in my bed for a few seconds, debating whether I was awake enough to get out of bed or not. I ran my fingers through my hair and decided I wanted to take a shower. I just hoped I could remember where the bathroom was.  
"Wow, Koenma wasn't kidding.." I said to myself as I opened my closet. All of my clothes were sorted, the shirts and sweaters were hung up, pants and skirts were folded on the shelf above the hangers. Underwear, bras, and socks were sorted into drawers in a tiny dresser below the hangers. My shoes were placed in a neat line on the floor next to the dresser. I blinked in amazement. Then, I noticed a small sticky note attached to one of my shirts. "Huh? What's this..?" I asked myself as I read it:

_Dear Tsukiyo,_  
_Your clothes are so cute! We had fun organizing and we hope everything's just the way you like it._  
_Love; Botan, Keiko, & Yukina._

I couldn't help but smile a little to myself as I read the cheerful note. I made my own mental note to thank them later when I saw them. I tucked the note inside my drawer after I pulled out some underwear and a bra, and then selected a navy blue t-shirt with a scooped neck line and a pair of short low rise jean shorts, since it was still a bit warm outside. Now that I had all my clothes, all that was left was to make my way out of my room and find the bathroom. I slowly opened my door, peering out in the hallway to see if anyone was up. No one, the coast was clear. I stepped into the hall, closing my door softly. "Where is that bathroom" I said to myself as I waked passed Keiko's room, looking every which way. "...Oh," I said, feeling a little stupid, as I looked above one of the doors where a pink sign was posted. It read "Girl's Bathroom!" in bubbly purple letters, and there were cute little stickers plastered all over it. No doubt the work of Botan. I knocked quietly and waited to see if any of the girl's were in there. No response. I locked the door once I was inside, and flipped on the light switch. The bathroom was spacey, and was complete with both a steam shower and a spa bathtub. The walls were a pale pink, of course, and there were white bath mats on the floor, and towels hanging from the towel rack and stacked in a small closet next to the shower. Before I took my shower, I decided to explore. On the large marble counter top there were four sinks. The sink nearest the door was had a basket behind it labled "Botan", which was filled with all sorts of things, like make up, tampons, razors, a toothbrush and toothpaste. Next down the line was the sink with a basket labeled "Keiko" behind it, and then Yukina, and then finally the last sink had my name on it's basket behind it. I had some brand new make up, tampons of course, a new pack of razors and shaving cream, and a toothbrush and toothpaste.  
"Wow.." I said as I pushed a few things aside gently in order to see what was deeper inside the basket. "They really know how to make someone feel welcome.."  
When my exploring was done, and after the last of the cabinets was peered into, I started the shower. The hot water fogged up the clear shower door and the mirror as I stripped down out of my pajamas, tossing them into the hamper near the door. I stepped into the soothing water, and just stood under it for a moment. Luckily I'd grabbed one of my new razors and performed a quick shaving routine, and soon after washed my hair with a fruity scented shampoo, followed by conditioner, and a matching body wash.  
"Ahhh.." I sighed as I enjoyed the steamy water for a few more seconds, then reluctantly shut it off. I quickly stepped out of the shower and wrapped myself in a towel before I got too chilled, drying my body and hair as quickly as I could. I wrapped the towel around me as I quickly brushed my teeth, then shed the towel and got dressed. I could smell bacon cooking from downstairs as I opened a new stick of eyeliner and tube of mascara. My stomach growled so I hurried my make up routine a bit. After one final glance in the mirror, I looked up at the wall clock above the door. It was 8:00 now, just in time for breakfast.  
I made my way down the tall staircase, the smell of breakfast getting stronger with every step I took. My stomach growled again, but luckily the sound of bacon sizzling on the stove masked it. Kurama stood in front of the stove, spatula in hand. His long red hair was tied back in a low ponytail, and he wore a simple yellow apron over his light blue button up shirt and white pants. He looked over his shoulder at me and smiled as I walked into the kitchen, sitting at the island in the middle of the kitchen.  
"Good morning, Tsukiyo." He greeted me, turning to flip a few pancakes on the stove. "You're up early."  
"Morning, Kurama." I replied, "Yea.. I've always been kind of an early riser."  
"Well, its nice to have some company." Kurama chuckled as he began flipping pancakes in a stack onto a plate. "I'm usually the only one up. Do you like pancakes?"  
"Oh, yea, I love pancakes!"  
"Eggs?"  
"Scrambled?"  
He nodded.  
"Yup!"  
"Bacon?"  
"Mhmm."  
"Great."  
I watched as he plated all the food, and began to carry it out to the dining area.  
"So.. I met Hiei last night," I stated as I helped him carry plates and glasses.  
"You did?" Kurama asked, "Oh yes, he did say something about that this morning before he left."  
"Left? Where'd he go?" I set a heavy pitcher of orange juice on the table. I heard footsteps from upstairs, guessing someone else was waking up to the smell of freshly cooked breakfast.  
"Probably out to the woods." Kurama replied, setting out the last of the silverware. "Hiei always goes out for a morning walk, he likes some time alone. He'll be back in an hour or so."  
"Is he always so.." I paused, searching for the right word. I didn't want to be too blunt, but I could find no better word. "...Mean?"  
Kurama chuckled, which caught me off guard.  
"Hiei has a very distinct personality.." Kurama began to explain to me, "I've known him for a very long while, and it just takes him a bit to warm up. He may snap from time to time, but gradually he'll show his true personality."  
I nodded in understanding. "He may snap a few times, but you can't let it get you down. He's just good at masking his emotions and putting up fronts.. Don't worry about it, Tsukiyo." "Well now I feel a little less annoying," I breathed a sigh of relief, remembering how irritated Hiei had been earlier that morning when I'd tried to talk to him. Kurama smiled warmly at me, and then both our attentions were dircted to the staircase, where Yusuke and Kuwabara were trudging down. They both looked to be half asleep still, their hair twisted and riddled with fly aways. Their t-shirts and pajama pants were ruffled from sleep, and their eyes were half shut. They muttered like zombies as they neared the dining area.  
"So... tired.." Yusuke groaned.  
"So.. tired... and hungry.." Kuwabara added on. I stifled a giggle as they flopped down at the table next to each other.  
"Need foooooood.." They both moaned together. "Well, there's plenty of it here," Kurama said, gesturing to all the food on the table, "Dig in." And they did, seeming more awake as they dug into the pancakes, bacon, and eggs; pouring themselves huge glasses of juice. They ate like machines. One by one, the girls came down the stairs, freshly showered, and ready for breakfast.  
"Good morniiiing!" Botan sang cheerfully as she plopped herself down at the table.  
"This looks wonderful, Kurama," Yukina complimented Kurama was a sweet smile. She placed a single pancake on her plate and drizzled it with syrup. I thought to myself there wasn't near enough on her pancake. "Yea, Kurama, thank you." Keiko agreed, piling her own plate with eggs and a few strips of bacon. "You're all very welcome," Kurama smiled, bowing to the group of us appreciatively. "I hope you enjoy."  
It was amazing how much we could eat, but we all remembered to leave some food for Hiei, who had yet to return. I myself ate a little bit of each dish, but my favorite was definatly Kurama's pancakes.  
"You can really make a mean pancake, Kurama." I said, followed by a sigh of content as I leaned my back against my chair. Everyone around the table looked extremely satisfied and full, their plates clean.  
"If I didn't think I'd explode," Kuwabara started to say, "I'd eat about thirty more pieces of bacon."  
"Yea, like you could even count to thirty, Kuwabara." Yusuke sneered. Kuwabara shot him an evil glare, but didn't make any attempt to fight back. He was too full. We were all too full. As we all cleared the table, Botan prepared a plate for Hiei, complete with two pancakes, a small piles of eggs, and the left over strips over bacon. She put it in the fridge, and we all finished the dishes, with constant complaining from Yusuke and Kuwabara.  
"What's the point of washing the dishes if we're just gonna dirty them up again tonight," Yusuke growled. "I never understood that. It's pointless." Kuwabara quickly agreed.  
"Oh, Yusuke," Keiko sighed in annoyance, "Just shut up and dry." She handed him a wet dish and he dried it off with his wash rag, sulking the entire time. He then handed it to Kuwabara, who placed it in the cabinet.  
Just as all the dishes were completed, the back door opened, and in walked Hiei. He was dressed in his black cloak and black pants, his hands in his pockets. His fierce red eyes stared straight ahead at the staircase, which he was making a B-line for.  
"Good morning, Hiei!" Botan sang out to him. "I put your breakfast in the fridge for you."  
He gave her a sideways glance, then turned his gaze back towards the stairs.  
"Hn." He grunted in reply. Not even a thank you.  
"Good morning, Hiei." Yukina piped up in her sweet little voice. There was absolutely nothing to dislike about her. Hiei paused, just starting up the stairs. "... Good morning, Yukina." His voice was soft, sounding somewhat sad, just the tiniest bit. Yukina smiled. He began slowly making his way up the stairs once more. I blinked in confusion, wondering why he was so rude to Botan, but greeted Yukina. I looked at everyone, and no one seemed to notice. Maybe something was going on between Hiei and Yukina..?  
Just then, we all heard the front door open and close. All our attention was directed to the hall leading from the front room, and in walked Koenma.  
"Good morning, everyone." He greeted us with a bow.  
"Good morning, Koenma." We all greeted him in unison, minus Hiei, who was almost at the top of the stairs by now.  
"I've got a bit of announcement to make." Koenma informed us. "You need to hear this, too, Hiei. It involves you."  
Hiei sighed in annoyance and turned around, standing on the top step, his hands in his pockets. His eyes gazed toward Koenma in irritated expectance. With that, Koenma cleared his throat, ignoring the daggers in Hiei's eyes. "This has to do with Tsukiyo's training."  
I felt myself blush, but tried to hide it as best I could. I hated being the center of attention. "I've called on a few specialists to help with your elemental mastery, Tsukiyo. A wind master, and an ice master, who also has some experience with water."  
"Wait," Yusuke interrupted him with a sly grin. "You're not talking about Jin and Toya, are you?" "Yes, Yusuke, that's exactly who I'm talking about." Koenma replied, "But they're not going to be here to joke around and play with you. They're called here to train Tsukiyo, purely on a professional level."  
"Yea, yea." Yusuke simple waved off his lecture, and Koenma rolled his eyes. "In addition to Toya and Jin," He continued on, "I'll need you, Kurama, to help train her with the earth element."  
"Of course," Kurama said with a smile, "It would be my pleasure." He turned his smile to me, and I couldn't help but smile back. It was contagious.  
"Hiei, she will also need your assisstance." Koenma informed Hiei, peering up at him. "Seeing as fire is the hardest element to master, I've saved your training for last. It should take about a week of training in the other three elements, but fire may take a bit longer. So your training periods will take place last in line."  
I looked up at Hiei, and he glanced at me from the corner of his eye.  
"Hn. My time had better not be wasted." Hiei grunted, then turned and walked to his room, shutting the door almost silently.  
"I'll take that as an agreement." Koenma said with a shrug. "Training starts Monday, beginning with wind." He then glanced up at our clock. "But I've stayed too long. I've got some work to do back in the Spirit World, so I'll check up on you all in a few days."  
With that, he billowed out of the house, and that was that.  
"Stayed too long..?" I muttered. "That was more like five minutes."  
"You'll get used to his random pop ups." Kuwabara assured me. I nodded.  
It seemed like there were a lot of things I'd be getting used to.

_**To be continued...**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Week 1; Day 1: Wind**_

Two days later, Monday came. I'd spent most of the weekend resting up and still trying to get to know everyone in the house a little better. I'd had a couple more run ins with Hiei, but little more than "Hn." was said on his part. *Just give it time..* I would always think to myself. I knew I didn't have to be best friends with Hiei, but at least like to be able to talk to him as people, without there being awkward pauses or mean looks.  
Yusuke, Kuwabara, and I sat on the couch as they taught me how to play Moral Kombat.  
"A! hit A!" Kuwabara shouted at me from the right as I tried my best to beat Yusuke in a practice battle. "Double B! Up arrow! No, wait, left arrow!"  
"Too many buttons!" I shrieked, "He's kicking my ass! Jeez, go easy!"  
"No way," Yusuke said in a determined tone, "I'm not going easy on you just 'cause you're a first timer. You knew what you got yourself into!"  
I randomly hit a bunch of buttons, and frankly, my character looked as if it was having a seizure.  
"YES! KO!" Yusuke cried out as the last bit of green health was beaten out of my character, throwing his arms into the air. I sighed but smiled as he jumped up and did a funny victory dance. "We'll beat 'im next time, Tsukiyo." Kuwabara assured me, patting me on the back a bit too hard. I laughed.  
"I doubt it." I replied.  
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Yusuke volunteered to get it, leaving Kuwabara and I in the living room by ourselves. While he customized a new character, I listened as Yusuke opened the door.  
"Jin! Damn, man, it's been a while!" His voice echoed down the main hall, sounding excited.  
"Ey there, Urameshi!" Replied another man's voice, heavy with an Irish accent, "Still got that iron punch, lad?" The Irish voice let out a belly laugh. The two of them continued to get aquainted as they made their way down the hall, their voices getting closer. Soon, they were in view. Standing next to Yusuke was a man about his height, looking about his age, as well. His hair was shaggy, and about the color of Kurama's. His eyes were big and a pretty deep blue color, and he had a bit of stubble on his face. He wore white pants with a colorful belt, sandals, and no shirt, showing off his very well built chest and stomach. His arms were muscular as well.  
"Ah, you must be Tsukiyo, then?" He said to me with a big, goofy grin. His kanines were slightly sharp, making him appear impish. It was kind of cute, actually. "Yea, that'd be me. Jin, right?" I said with a warm smile, shaking his now extended hand. "The one and only." I couldn't get over how thick his accent was. "It's nice to meet ya, lass."  
"You, too."  
"So, ready to start trainin', then?" Jin asked me, placing his hands on his hips. I stood up from the couch, barely coming up to his collar bone, if that. He blinked down at me, and grinned. "My, you sure are a tiny thing, aren't ya?" He let out a big belly laugh, causing me to blush and smile shyly. "Ahh, that's cute, that's cute."  
I laughed nervously, rubbing the back of my neck. I could feel my face turning redder by the second. "Ahh, well.." Jin said, his laughter dying down to a light chuckle. He wiped a single tear from his left eye. "Let's get goin', short stuff." He gestured out to the backyard through the huge dining room window.  
"Sure, okay." I agreed, willing to change the subject from my height.  
"Go easy on 'er, Jin!" Kuwabara called out to Jin as neared the back door of the house.  
"Yea, no tornado fists yet!" Yusuke agreed. Jin simply waved a hand over his shoulder as a gesture that he knew not to be too hard on me on the first day of training. Still, I was a bit nervous.

Once outside, Jin and I spent about an hour sitting by the lake about an acre away from the house, meditating. He said it would help channel my Spirit Energy.  
"Alright, Tsukiyo," Jin finally spoke up after the time was done, "I can feel that your Spirit Energy levels are more controlled now. That meditation did you a world of good." He stood up from his sitting position and brushed off his white pants, and I followed suit. "We'll start each training day off like that."  
"Okay," I said, "You're the boss."  
He chuckled. "Let's start off with something basic; flight."  
"Flight?" I gasped in surprise. "That's basic?"  
"If you're trying to master the element of air, very basic." Jin informed me, never loosing that big goofy grin of his.  
"Good point.." I grumbled.  
"Now," Jin's voice got calm. "Close your eyes."  
I did.  
"Imagine your feet lifting from the ground." His voice floated through my head, captivating my thoughts. "Imagine a balloon full of helium, imagine clouds, feathers, anything light.. imagine your body as light as that."  
I nodded, concentrating hard on the things he was telling me. I thought of birds, and feathers being scooped up by a breeze. Balloons full of helium. Clouds.  
I could feel the air start to sway back and forth gently.  
"Good.." Jin whispered, "You're on the right track, lass. Don't loose focus."  
I squeezed my eyes shut tighter a bit, focusing on my breathing. The wind grew a bit rougher. Suddenly I felt the wind concentrate around me in a swirling motion. It was a bit choppy. I felt my stomach flutter, and my hair gently lift from my body, flowing upward. My feet then lifted off the ground.  
"There you go, lass!" Jin whispered louder now, not wanting to blow my concentration.  
Luckily, I did that for myself. I opened my eyes, and noticed I was a good four or five feet off the ground.  
"EEP!" I let out a squeal, losing grip on my focus, and the wind to rush away from my body. I plumeted to the ground, falling flat on my ass. "Ow..! Ugh."  
Jin didn't even try to hide his laughter as I rubbed my backside.  
"Well at least you've got the idea." He said to me.  
"I guess.." I felt a bit discouraged, but I remembered it was only my first day of training. For hours, all we worked on was flight, and Jin would demonstrate to me, and I would try for myself. Each time I'd get a little bit higher, and each time I'd lose focus and fall to the ground. Not the best cushion for a landing.  
"Once more, half pint." Jin said with a teasing little nickname. I brushed some dirt off my elbows, leaving the smudges on my cheeks.  
"Okay.. once more." I muttered to myself, closing my eyes and thinking of the same things as before. This time, the wind rushed to me a bit quicker, and swirled around me in a smoother fashion. I felt my body lift from the ground, floating higher and higher.  
"That's it!" Jin cried out, but I couldn't place his position. "That's it, you've got it! You've got it now!"  
I opened my eyes, but didn't fall this time. A huge smile spread across my face.  
"Oh my god!" I yelled, twirling around in the air. "I'm.. I'm flying!" It was weird to say that, I'd always thought flying to be impossible. "I can't believe this!"  
I soared about as Jin cheered and clapped, and I got high above the trees. But then, something through off my focus; a hugh crow flew past, smacking into my head, cawing loudly. I let out a scream, and felt the wind leave my side. I instantly fell back towards the earth, but I was too far away from the ground to just scrape myself up a bit. This landing would result with broken bones. I screamed as I watched the ground get closer and closer, but all of the sudden there was a flash of white, and I was captured into a pair of strong arms. I looked up into the eyes of Jin, sparkling blue. He landed on the ground gracefully, setting me down.  
"Are you alright, Tsukiyo?" He asked me, seeming concerned. I took a deep breath, and let it out.  
"Yea.." I replied to him, "Yea.. I'm fine. Just a little shaken."  
"Good, good." He said, grinning once more and ruffling my dark blue hair. "Could still use some work, but you're gettin' the hang of it."  
I thanked him bashfully, and he concluded training for that day. I let out a huge sigh of relief, I was exhausted. Jin then walked me inside, running me through tomorrow's training routine. It sounded just as draining, but I was up for it.

After training, Jin and Yusuke had a bit of a spar in the backyard, drawing a tie. Then we'd all sat down and talked for a good while, and I was starting to feel like I belonged. I'd hardly thought of my parents or my friends since I'd been here, only once in a while, and Koenma was right; it was getting less and less painful.  
"I'll see you all tomorrow, bright and early!" Jin called out as he left our house, "Be ready to train tomorrow, Tsuki!"  
"I will!" I hollered back to him.  
"Bye, Jin!" Everyone else called out, and he took off into the sky, disappearing out of sight. I hoped I'd be able to accomplish that one of these days.  
"Uck, I'm gonna go take a shower." I announced, flaking some dried dirt off my arm. I couldn't believe I'd sat around like this for as long as I did. My friends all said they'd put a movie on and wait for me to come downstairs, and I told them I'd be back soon. As I got to the top of the stairs, I bumped into Hiei.  
"Oh, hey Hiei." I greeted him, trying to always be nice to him, despite his rudeness and complete sense of being indifferent towards me.  
"I saw part of your training with the wind master." He said to me in a flat tone, his eyes seeming to gaze right through me, "You'd better toughen up before I get ahold of you. I won't be so gentle."  
With that, he brushed passed me into the boys wing, and slunk into his room.  
"What was that about.." I asked myself, furrowing my brow. But, I knew I couldn't figured it out, so I just shrugged, and locked myself in the bathroom for a soothing shower.  
Hopefully I'd come out of my next training session alive, or at least without as many bruises.

_**To be continued...**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Week 1; Day 6: Wind**_

With three days of training under my belt, I'd nailed flight. Sure, I wasn't able to rocket off the ground yet like Jin could, but I could lift myself into the air and fly around with little concentration, and keep myself in the air for long periods of time. On this particular training day, Jin and I floated above the lake, about 100 yards apart from each other. I was about to attempt his next task for me; twisters.  
"There's two ways to use the twister," Jin yelled over to me, "The first way is the tornado fist, and the second way is the full body twister."  
I nodded, waiting for him to go on.  
"We'll start with the full body twister, which is pretty simple, but you might get a bit dizzy the first few times."  
"Okay, what do I do?"  
"Spin your body around in a tight circle, like this." Jin began to spin, kind of like a figure skater, in midair. "You spin the air around you, kind of like twirling cotton candy onto a stick. You like cotton candy, right, lass?"  
"Yea, it's alright I guess." I laughed, "Now let me have a go at this twister business."  
"Alright, go for it." Jin waved me on, "Just try not to upchuck."  
"Shut up," I snapped at him jokingly, and he chuckled.  
"Go on, then."  
"Okay, here goes nothing."  
I then propelled myself in a tight circle, just like Jin had told me, trying not to let myself get dizzy.  
"Faster!" I heard Jin order out to me. So I did, I twirled faster, until everything around me became a blir. The wind roared and spun around me, being drawn to my body. I felt myself smile, finally feeling like I had some control over at least part of my power.  
"Great!" Jin's voice broke through the wind barrier. "You're doing it, you've got it!"  
"Yea?" I called back out to him.  
"Yea!" I could hear the smile in his voice, "Now, stop a moment, but slowly. Don't throw yourself off there, lass."  
I reduced my speed, and slowed myself down to a stop, but facing the wrong way. I quickly turned to face Jin, brushing my hair out of my face. I huffed and puffed a little bit, but I could feel myself grinning. Jin mimiced my grin and clapped for me.  
"You're making some real progress here, Tsuki." Jin told me, swirling himself over to me. "Now, here's your next test before we work on the tornado fist. This test shouldn't be too hard."  
"Okay, what?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips. "Pull me into your twister." Jin stated simply, still grinning. I raised my eyebrow at him. "It's easy. Just make your tow powerful enough to pull me in."  
"...Alright. Simple enough." I complied.  
"Great, then!" He repelled away from me, a good distance away. "If you stop short enough, and keep your focus, you can keep the wind in a twister around you. Try that!"  
"Okay." I nodded, and began to spin again, faster and faster, feeling the twister form around me. I timed it perfectly in my mind, stopping short, but keeping the wind twisting and twirling around me. "Concentrate harder, I'm barely inching toward you!" Jin cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted to me, "You'll never pull me in like that!"  
I felt my body get tense, my eyes burned with a silver glow. My hair flowed straight upward. I raised my arms out, pulling as much energy as I could. The twister grew rougher, faster. It expanded thicker, and I could see Jin being pulled in. His hair flailed around wildly, along with the baggyness of his pants.  
"There ya go, lass!" He shouted, but I could barely hear him above the roar of the twister. With one last pull of energy, Jin was sucked into my twister, and he laughed as he was flipped and spun around. Finally, I was able to let go, and the twister faded.  
"See, wasn't that simple?" Jin asked, smoothing his red hair.  
"Actually, yea, it really was." I said with a smile. "Now, this next thing is a bit more difficult." Jin said, sounding a bit more serious. "The tornado fist; this is my special move."  
"Alright, I'm ready." I remarked, feeling determined.  
Jin explained to me that the tornado fist required a lot of energy, and a lot of concentration; more so than flight or the full body twister.  
"We'll start with just one arm, but you can do it with both at the same time," Jin said, "But I don't reccomend that just yet."  
He gave me instruction to hold my dominant arm out away from my body, and rotate it in a circle. I did, and concentrated my energy on my arm. For a moment, I would get the wind to entrap my arm, but then it would become too much, and the twister would disperse. The same system repeated mutiple times, but Jin wouldn't let me quit, not until I nailed it.  
An hour passed, and I had been floating in the same spot, trying to accomplish the tornado fist, when finally...  
"I'M DOING IT!" I cried out to Jin, who grinned wildly.  
"ALRIGHT, LASS, THAT'S IT!" He pumped his fist in the air. "Now, come at me!"  
"What?"  
"Come at me! Target practice!" He waved his fingers toward his body. "Let's see whatcha got, half pint!"  
I smirked at him, propelling my body toward his. I took a swing at him, but he zipped away. I followed, and took another swing, but he darted and dodged everytime I thought I had him. Until once, he slipped up, and I took my opportunity. He repelled from my blow to his face, and tumbled through the air a few yards. When he regained his composure, he stared at me, his hand to his a cheek. Slowly, a smile spread across his face.  
"BRILLIANT!" He cheered loudly, startling me, but I smiled. He did flips through the air.  
"Now all that's left is your test, which will take place tomorrow. Don't worry, you'll breeze right through it." He snorted with laughter, "Get my little joke there? Breeze.."  
I giggled at his cornyness. "Bring it on, Wind Master!" I said to him with a wink.  
"Oh, you just wait, sister," Jin laughed back at me. With that we floated to the ground, just as the sun was beginning to set. It was strange how time passed by so quickly when I was training. I couldn't wait to pass my test and move on to my water training.

_**Week 1; Day 7: Wind**_

The next morning, bright and early, I was waiting for Jin out by the lake. I lifted myself off the ground and practiced everything he'd taught me; flying smoothly, agility while in flight, full body twisters, and tornado fists.  
"Well, hello there!" A very familiar voice called up to me from the ground. I looked down, and saw Jin waving at me. "You're early, I see!"  
"Yup!" I yelled back down to him. "What took you so long? I'm ready for my test!"  
"Are you now, lass?" He asked me with that typical grin as he drifted himself to my height in the air, just a bit above the tree tops. "Now that's what I like to hear!"  
He then prepared me for my test; First was agility, involving darting around a series of trees without skidding or stalling, and arriving back to this very spot in no less than thirty seconds.  
"Piece of cake." I said with a shrug, completeing the task with great ease.  
"Not too shabby there, half pint." Jin said with a smirk, "Not it's time for the full body twister test. You must pull me into your twster from different angles and distances. Go!"  
This test was passed with great ease as well.  
"Excellent!" Jin exclaimed, "Now for your final test, the tornado fist. You must land ten hits on me, before I land five on you."  
This test worried me, but I powered up my tornado fist to show Jin that I was ready. "Alright lass... Give it your all!" Suddenly, Jin disappeared. I gasped. I looked around, trying to sense his energy.  
"Peek a boo!" I heard him from behind me, but before I could turn around, I felt his foot connect with my back. I let out a yelp of pain as I lost control of my flight for a moment, but quickly regained my composure, regaining my tornado fist.  
"That's one!" Jin held up one finger, and laughed as he disappeared again.  
"Okay, Tsukiyo.. Stay on your guard.." I whispered to myself. It was silent for a moment, but I could sense that Jin was near. I closed my eyes, focusing on his spirit energy. Finally, I pinpointed it. I snapped my eyes open, he was coming from the left side.  
"Not this time, Jin!" I shouted, turning to my left and blocking his fist, hitting him in the neck with my own.  
"Yow!" He croaked, as he calmed down the spin corrupting him from my twister. "Quite a left hook ya got!"  
I shrugged and smiled, then used my agility to sprint away from him. He grinned and chased after me. And so this went on, and Jin got me down to four hits, and I had him down to nine. It was down to the wire. I had to think fast.  
"Here I come!" Jin yelled from above, dive bombing me. I gasped and quickly darted out of the way, Jin's hair grazing against my face.  
"Nice dodge," He called out, now below me.  
"Thanks." I replied, disappearing once more. Finally, after five minutes of playing cat and mouse, I landed my hit, righting in Jin's lower back, and passing my test.  
We both dropped to the ground, panting hard. Jin lifted his head and smiled at me, extending his hand.  
"Congrats, Tsuki," He shook my hand, "You've passed your wind test. Of course, you've got a long way to go to become a master, but you're pretty damn good."  
"Thanks, Jin." I giggled a little bit, and rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly. "All thanks to you!"  
"Aw, shucks." Jin said, his cheeks turning a cute shade of pink. He laughed a bit himself.  
With that, we each stood up, and headed back inside.  
"She passed!" Jin yelled inside as he reached the front door, and I heard everyone cheer from inside, but I hung back, enjoying the feel of the wind. I felt proud knowing I had control of it now, and my happiness brought about a warm breeze. It combed through my hair, and I smiled.  
Then, something caught my eye; a glimpse of red from above. I looked up, and was met with a pair of red eyes; Hiei's red eyes. He stood in his room, looking down upon me from his window. We stood in eye contact for at least ten seconds, before he smirked slightly. It took me by surprise, and I blinked. I found myself smiling softly.  
Hiei then turned from the window and walked away, probably to somewhere else in the house.  
"Maybe he's finally coming around." I told myself, finally deciding to walk into the house to greet everyone's cheers for me. Jin was invited to stay for dinner, and for a movie party afterwards. He'd become a good friend, and I hoped I'd see him after this day was done, which I was sure I would.  
Hopefully, my water trainer would be just the same.

_**To be continued...**_


	8. Chapter 8

Jin decided to stay for the weekend, which I had off of training. My water trainer would be arriving the following Monday, but today was Saturday. It was a rainy day, and it was decided that we would all pitch in and make a simple dinner, and watching movies tonight.  
"No muscle head movies!" Botan shouted at the boys as they ran through the ran to their car, on their way to the local movie rental store.  
"And no pornos, Yusuke!" Keiko shouted as a vein pulsed in her forehead. I could tell that Yusuke had brought home one too many pornos and I giggled a bit but tried not to let Keiko hear.  
"Knock some sense into them, Kurama!" I yelled out to them. We'd sent Kurama with them to make sure they didn't bring home a bunch of crappy movies.  
"Don't worry, lassies, we'll look for a movie with that teen heart throb Shia Labeouf!" Jin called back to us in a teasing tone. He clasped his hands under his chin and his eyes turned to throbbing hearts. "He's such a dreamboat!"  
"Please do!" Botan, Keiko, and I all called out to them in unison, and Botan slammed the door as we heard them laughing and piling into the car. They peeled out of the driveway, and down the road.  
"We'll be lucky if they don't have an accident.." I sighed, shaking my head as I watched them through the window.  
"Yes, I know." Botan agreed, crossing her arms. "Well, alright girls, we should probably head to the store!"  
Keiko called Yukina in from the living room, where she had been sitting and watching tv. She stood up from the couch and joined us as we put on our jackets and ran screaming out into the ran to the second car in the driveway.

At the store we bought all the ingrediants to make a huge batch of spaghetti and meatballs and a huge salad.  
We payed the girl at the checkout counter, thanked her, and then took our bags, running out into the rain screaming for the second time.  
"It's so cold!" Yukina screeched, which was unusual because she was an ice maiden. I jumped into a puddle and splashed Botan, who shrieked.  
"Tsukiyo!" She laughed. "I'll get you back!" I winked at her over my shoulder and Keiko laughed at our banter. Soon we were all safe inside the car, driving back to the house.  
We arrived before the boys did, and quickly changed into some dry clothes; pajamas to be exact, even thought it was four in the afternoon. Botan's pajamas consisted of a pink tank top, pink shorts of a darker shade, and fluffy bunny slippers. "You look adorable, Botan." Keiko giggled, grabbing the bags of lettuce from the counter. She was wearing a cute, light green night gown that stopped just below her butt, and knee high white socks. Her brown hair was in two tiny pigtails.  
"Why thank you, Keiko, you look very cute yourself!" Botan replied in usual bubbly tone. She began to form the meatballs, making a grossed out face at the raw meat. I laughed.  
"I think we all look pretty cute," I declared, taking a look at Yukina's silky purple kimono that was on the short side, but she wore a pair of shorts underneigth it. My pajamas were especially comfortable, a red tank top that fitted my figure and showed a bit of my midriff but didn't reveal too much, and a pair of baggy grey sweatpants that hugged my hips. I chose to go barefoot; I loved the feeling of the wood floors against my skin. I helped Keiko chop vegatables for the salad, and Yukina began to heat up the sauce and pasta, while Botan continued to squeal over the squishy meat she was rolling up in her hands. But soon, she got it all done, and simmered the meatballs in the sauce.  
Once we all stepped away from the kitchen, the front door opened, and the boys ambled in, laughing and rough housing like usual.  
"Man, does it smell good in here!" Kuwabara blabbed as he set a bag of candy down on the kitchen counter. His eyes instantly gravitated toward Yukina in her silky kimono, but she just smiled sweetly at him, not noticing how he was clearly undressing her with his eyes. "What do we have goin' on in here?" Yusuke asked as he smirked at all of us, but put his arm around Keiko. "A little pajama party? Did we miss the sexy pillow fight..?" Yusuke wiggled his eyebrows.  
"Yusuke Urameshi!" Keiko yelped, slapping him upside the head. Her face was red and her brow was furrowed. "What? I was just joking Keiko, don't get your panties in a bunch."  
They continued to squabble while Botan and I turned to Kuwabara, Jin, and Kurama.  
"You guys should all put your pajamas on!" Botan squealed.  
"Yea, its not like we're going anywhere," I agreed, putting my hands in the pockets of my sweatpants. "It just makes sense."  
"Alright!" Yusuke called and ran upstairs, "Pajama party!"  
Keiko giggled and rolled her eyes. "Put your pajamas on, Kazuma!" Yukina urged, kissing Kuwabara's cheek. His face instantly turned red, and steam puffed from his ears.  
"Okay, Yuknia, my dear!" Kuwabara's babbled, and raced up the stairs, leaving a trail of dust behind him.  
"Go, go, go!" Botan and I cheered together as we pushed Jin and Kurama up the stairs. "Go change!"  
Kurama laughed, and Jin grinned at us just like always.  
"Alright, alright!" They both said, dashing up the stairs.  
While they were upstairs, the girl's and I looked through the four movies the boys had picked out. The new Nightmare on Elmstreet movie which was to be saved until after dark, Eagle Eye, our promised Shia Labeouf movie, The Dark Knight, and Flatliners.  
"Hello, ladies." Yusuke's voice came from the top of the stairs. He was wearing a white tank top, showing off his toned upper body, and a pair of green stripped pajama pants. He walked down the stairs seductively, singing a porno tune.  
"Oh, Yusuke!" Botan giggled. Once he got down the stairs, he made a B-line for Keiko, swooping her up, dipping her low like he was dancing the tango, and gave her a kiss.  
"Get a room, you two." I joked, walking over to check on the meatballs. "Almost done!" "Oh, wonderful!" Botan clapped her hands. "Yukina, dear, would you help me set the table please?"  
"Of course, Botan," Yukina replied, following Botan into the kitchen and grabbing some plates and silverware.  
Soon, Kurama and Jin came down the stairs, kurama dressed in his dark green t-shirt and light green pajama pants, and Jin in his simple white pajama pants, and no shirt. He seemed to be a fan of showing off his upper body. Finally, Kuwabara came down the stairs, and we all burst out laughing at what we saw. Kuwabara was wearing a white t-shirt, and a pair of baby blue boxers, decorated with winking kitty faces all over them. I grasped my stomach and tears leaked from my eyes.  
"What?" Kuwabara yelled as his face turned red. He scrambled down the stairs, and we all just laughed even harder. Even Kurama tried to stifle laughter, but he failed miserably. "Kuwabara, you're such an idiot," Yusuke gasped between laughter, "There's..there's cats on your... your boxers!" He wiped the tears from his eyes.  
"I like kitties, okay.." Kuwabara muttered, just making us laugh harder.  
"Ahh, lad," Jin spoke up after he caught his breath, "I haven't laughed this hard in ages. Its great to be surrounded by friends." He gave Kuwabara a hearty slap on the back.  
"Amen to that one." Yusuke agreed. "Now is the food done yet? I'm starving!" He rubbed his stomach.  
"It's ready!" Yukina piped up from the kitchen as she peered into each pot. "Everyone come fill your plate."  
So, we all grabbed our plates, and lined up in the kitchen, when the unexpected happened.  
Hiei ambled down the stairs, wearing a black tank top and a pair of black pajama pants. He grabbed a plate, and got in line behind Keiko, who was at the end. Everyone blinked in surprise and stared at the fire demon.  
"What." He barked after a moment.  
"Uh, nothing Hiei," Keiko said.  
"Yea, we're just not used to seein' your mug around here at dinner time." Kuwabara piped up. "Or hardly ever."  
"Not that it's not great that you're here!" Botan piped up, "There's plenty of food for everyone."  
"That's right, lad, join the party!" Jin joined in as he filled his plated with spaghetti noodles, and lightly sauced them. He also plopped two meatballs on his plate, and said he'd come back for salad.  
"I hope you like it, Hiei," Yukina said with that same sweet smile as she walked her plate to the table. He made soft eye contact with her, but didn't say a word. Just grunted a "Hn."  
Finally, we were all seated at the table, chatting it up, and making jokes. I finally felt at home here, these were my friends. My family. Once the dishes were done, it was after dark. We all gathered around the TV, about to put on A Nightmare on Elm Street. Hiei began to retreat up the stairs, but we stopped him.  
"Watch the movie with us, Hiei," I offered him as he passed by, "I've heard it's a good one."  
"I'll pass." Hiei snorted as he continued for the stairs. I decided not to press further, but then Yukina spoke up.  
"Please watch it with us, Hiei?" She asked softly. He froze in his spot, and then sighed.  
"Fine." He muttered, plopping himself down at the end of the couch. "I'll watch the stupid movie if it will make you imbeciles happy."  
Yukina smiled, knowing she could always win him over. I wondered why that was. Once all the lights were turned off, the movie was started, and everyone was quiet. I noticed Kurama slip his arm around Botan, and she layed her powdery blue head on his shoulder. Keiko snuggled into Kurama, and Kuwabara hugged Yukina close. That left Jin, Hiei, and I the odd ones out. A little while into the movie, there was a scary part, and I jumped, instinctively thrusting my head into Jin's shoulder to hide.  
"Oh, god, I'm sorry, Jin." I apologized quickly as I pulled away, and he chuckled, putting his arm around me and pulling me in.  
"It's alright, lass," He assured me, "I'll be your shoulder to hide behind."  
I giggled softly, thinking of how great a friend he was, seeing as I had just met him a little more than a week ago. He playfully tickled my ribs with his hand, and I giggled, nudging him. He grinned and stopped.  
When I looked over, I caught Hiei looking over at us out of the corner of his eye, and he quickly looked away. After a moment, he got up from the couch and made his way up the stairs.  
"Where are you going, Hiei?" I asked him.  
"Upstairs." He replied curtly without turning to look at me. "This movie is a pathetic excuse for entertainment."  
"Alright.. Well, good night." I said to him, but got no reply as he retreated to his room. I sighed and decided to just focus on the movie and not worry about Hiei. "Hiei can act so strange sometimes," Botan thought aloud. Everyone nodded.  
"Yes," Kurama agreed, "But we all know that's just how Hiei is. That's how he's always been."  
Everyone nodded again.

Just as the movie was about to end and the mystery was about to be solved, a huge flash of lighning illuminated the house as if it were the sun shining through, and a crack of deafening thunder rattled our bones. The power instantly flickered out, and we all groaned in disappointment. We waited a few moments for the power to potentially come back on, but it never did.  
"So... Now what?" Kuwabara's voice was heard in the darkness, with nothing but the light of the moon shining in, and the flash of lightning every now and then.  
"I have an idea." Botan's voice came up, sounding sly.  
"What?" Kurama's voice asked.  
"Truth... or... DARE!" She squealed, exciting us girls, earning a few groans from the boys.  
"Oh, come on, boys!" Botan said as she pulled Kurama onto the floor, we all sat in a circle. "Have some fun!"  
"Fiiiine," Yusuke groaned. "Who goes first?"  
"Botan should ask someone, since she thought of the game." Yukina suggested from across the cirlce. I could begin to make out everyone's figure and faces now as my eyes adjusted.  
"Okay, okay," Botan said as she tried to calm her excitement. Her purple eyes met my golden one in the darkness, "Tsuki, truth or dare?"  
"Oh, what the hell. Dare, why not?" I said with a smile.  
"No chickens." Botan said.  
"Nope. No chickens." I assured her.  
"Okay, I dare you to... go up to Hiei's room, steal a pair of his boxers, and bring them back down here."  
My face flushed as everyone snickered.  
"Perfect dare, Botan." Yusuke said, passing Botan a high five.  
"Alright..." I said as I stood up, and started to make my way up the stairs, "No turning back now.."  
"Nope," Keiko agreed with me, "Get on up there, girl."  
I sighed, planning my revenge on Botan. But, I did choose dare, so in a way I brought this upon myself.  
I turned left down the boys wing, and Hiei's door was the second one on the right. I took a deep breath, and slowly turned the knob, hoping the hinges wouldn't squeak, and my prayers were answered. Hiei's door was silent. I peered into his room, illuminated by the moonlight. He was no where in sight. I hurried over to his dresser, and looked through his drawers. Finally I pulled out a pair of red silky boxers.  
"Yes!" I whispered, and stood up, only to hear the door click shut, and come face to face with those unforgettable crimson orbs.  
"What the hell do you think you're doing, onna."  
*Shit..*

_**To be continued...**_


	9. Chapter 9

There I stood, frozen in the darkness of Hiei's room, his silky red boxers in my hand. I felt my face flush, thanking my lucky stars for the darkness.  
"Well?" Hiei demanded, his voice sharper now. I flinched at the sound of his voice. I knew this dare had been a bad idea. As Hiei's eyes grew fiercer and more demanding, I quickly hid the boxers behind my back, hoping he hadn't already seen them. I swallowed hard before I began to speak.  
"Well, uh... We were watching the movie downstairs, but the power went out.." I began to explain, trying my hardest not to stutter. I felt like I was shrinking into nothing under Hiei's harsh gaze. I began to fidget with the smooth fabric between my fingers, still hiding the garment behind my back. "So then, Botan wanted to play truth or dare, and she dared me first.." I took a breath, "She dared me to come up here and-"  
I was cut off by Hiei taking a few steps toward me, so close we were almost touching. I could feel his body heat radiating off him. He was so quick. It took me by surprise, and I instinctively took a few steps backwards, brushing the backs of my legs against his bed.  
"And what, onna?" Hiei hissed intimadatingly. I wondered why he never called me by name.  
Before I could answer, Hiei grabbed my right arm with his. I noticed his arm was bandaged from the mid-upper arm and down around his hand, and I wondered how I'd never noticed it before. I winced a bit as Hiei yanked my arm foreward in his vice-like grip.  
"To get these?" He ripped the boxers from my hand and shook them in front of my face. I rubbed my arm and nodded, telling him softly that it was just a game. Hiei narrowed his eyes at me.  
"Get out." he growled, "I wont be the subject of your foolish little games, onna." There he went with that "onna" stuff, again.  
He then grabbed me by the arm once more in the same spot, which was still sore.  
"Ow..!" I yelped as he dragged me to the door, opening it, with his free hand.  
"Out!" Hiei snarled, pushing me roughly out the door, shutting it loudly behind me.  
"You didn't have to be so rough, Hiei." I said to him through the door, but all I got in response was silence. "Jerk.." I muttered to myself as I made my way back down the stairs and into the living room, rubbing my sore arm.  
"How'd it go?" Botan asked as she noticed me.  
"He caught me," I replied as I sat down, letting out an annoyed huff, "I had the boxers in my hand, but he took them and pushed me out of his room. He was pretty pissed."  
"Boy, that sure is a shocker," Yusuke muttered sarcastically, a flat expression on his face. "That's half the reason why it's so fun to mess with him."  
"Hiei's just a party pooper," Botan grumbled, sticking her tongue out in annoyance.  
"Go on and pick someone else then, lass!" Jin chimed in excitedly.  
"Alright, but you'll regret it," I replied with a sly smirk, forgetting about the instance with Hiei. "Jin... truth or dare."  
"Dare, of course!" He shot back at me, "I'm not chicken."  
"Hmm.. okay," I said in a thoughtful tone as I dashed into the kitchen, mixing meatballs, tomato sauce, ice cream, relish, tobasco, ketchup, and mustard in a bowl. The smell was sickening.  
Everyone craned their necks from the living room, trying to see what I was up to. Jin looked a bit fearful.  
"I dare you to eat this," I said victoriously as I placed the bowl in Jin's lap. I then sat down in my spot, and stared at him with a smirk, a raised eyebrow, and crossed arms. Kurama and Kuwabara, who were sitting on either side of Jin, paired into the bowl. Their faces turned a bit green.  
"Oh, that's awful.." Kurama groaned, holding his nose.  
"Yea," Kuwabara followed Kurama's actions, and patted Jin on the back. "Good luck, buddy."  
"All of it?" Jin asked in disbelief.  
"Every last bit." I nodded in a matter of fact way. "Bon appetit!"  
Everyone except me gave Jin sympathetic looks.  
"I hope you don't get sick.." Yukina said in a worried tone, and Keiko nodded in agreement.  
"Bathroom's up the stairs and to your right, Jin." I chuckled. "Eat up!"  
"You're brutal, lass.." Jin said as he shuddered, "I'll be sure to pick dare next time.."  
We all made grossed out noises as he took the first bite, and he gagged a bit. He downed it in less than a minute, trying to keep it all down, but it was useless. He darted up the stairs at lightning speed, and we could all hear him upchucking in the bathroom.  
"Ughh, disgusting," Keiko said as she covered hear ears.  
"Remind me to pick truth, too, if I go up against Tsukiyo." Yusuke said with a grossed out look as Jin made another hacking sound. Within a few minutes, Jin drifted back down the stairs, holding his stomach.  
"Tasted just as bad coming up as it did goin' down.." He grumbled. I just smiled sweetly.  
"Your turn, Jinny-poo." I batted my eyelashes and he glared at me.  
"Botan."  
"Truth!"  
"Chicken.." Yusuke scoffed, and she shot him a glare.  
"Oh, shut up, Yusuke."  
Jin thought a moment, stroking hs chin.  
"Alrighty," He grinned a bit, "Is your hair color natural?"  
"THAT'S your question..?" Yusuke piped up a bit. "Ughh come onnn!"  
"Yes it is." Botan replied quickly with a nod. We all gave her suspicious looks, and she became flustered.  
"What?" She asked, looking at each of us, "It really is!"  
"Yea, yea.." Kuwabara rolled his eyes.  
"Alright, my turn again."  
And so the game went on. Kuwabara was dared by Botan to sing an dance to her favorite Brittney Spears song, which caused a roar of laughter among all of us. Kuwabara chose Yusuke, of course, who he dared to run around the house in the rain, naked. I covered my eyes for that one...  
Keiko chose truth, and Yusuke tried to badger her out of it, so Yukina took her turn, being dared to drink milk through her nose. She failed miserably.  
Kurama was dared to say "Fuck", and it was.. very strange. His face instantly turned the shade of his hair, he was so proper. Soon, we were bored of watching each other perform ridiculous or disgusting acts, or hearing embarassing confessions, and we moved onto Twister, boys against girls. Keiko was knocked out of the first round quickly as Yusuke made a crude comment about her underwear, earning him a slap in the face, and causing them both to tumble to the floor.  
"Urameshi!" Kuwabara had cried out angrily. One by one, people fell. First it was Yukina, who sneezed and toppled onto her side, then Kurama suffered a cramp in the back of his leg, collapsing. Botan finally gave up, complaining her muscles were sore, and she fell to the ground, but before left the game board, she tickled Jin in the ribs, causing him to jump back off his place on the board.  
"Hey!" He called out, pointing at Botan, "That's cheatin'!"  
"Doesn't say no tickling in the rule book, Jin!" Botan pointed out, laughing mockingly.  
"So, looks like its just you and me, Kuwabara." I said to Kuwabara as we were tangled on the board.  
"You're goin' down, Tsukiyo!" He cried out seriously. I laughed at his sheer determination.  
"Left foot green." Yukina read out after she spun the board. I moved my foot and slowly hooked it under Kuwabara's right leg, my toes barely on green.  
"Safe!" Yusuke called out, slashing his arms out in front of him like umpire. "C'mon Kuwabara, win this for us!"  
Sweat dripped from Kuwabara's forehead as he inched his foot toward the nearest green circle, but finally let out a defeated groan, and collapsed onto the board.  
"GIRLS WIN!" All the girls calld out in unison, giving each other high fives. "Yay, Tsukiyo!"  
"Aw, shucks, guys." I said in a goofy voice.  
After the excitement was drained from us and the boys were done sulking, it was about 2 AM. Everyone was starting to yawn, and take their places on the couch or floor. "Good night, everyone." Keiko spoke through a yawn. It was clear that we were all passing out.  
"Good night, John boy." Kurama joked, and we all chuckled. Well all said our real good nights, which was the very last thing I remembered before passing out on the left side the couch, my feet on Yusuke's lap, who's head was resting on Keiko's which was resting on his shoulder.

It was exactly 5:00 when I was rudely awakened by a loud roaring sound. I opened my eyes quickly and glanced around, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the dark. After a moment they did, and the roaring sound continued. I tracked the sound to Kuwabara, laying on the floor, a pool of drool around his mouth. I made a face and wondered how everyone else was still sleeping through that god awful sound. I felt sorry for Yukina who was sleeping right next to him, but looked quite peaceful. Under my feet, Yusuke's body twitched. He and Keiko were still in the same position that they fell asleep in. I had to admit, they looked adorable together, despite the amount of bickering. Slowly, I lifted my feet off Yusuke's lap, and placed them on the floor, strategically dodging Kurama's sleeping form, as well as Kuwabara and Yukina, and silently headed up the stairs to my room.  
I layed in my bed and tried to go back to sleep, but just wound up tossing and turning. I sighed.  
"Looks like another early morning for Tsukiyo," I sighed, rolling over on my side and peering out the window. The sky was still dark, but I could see the brightly glowing moon clearly, as well as the stars sprinkled around it. "At least the rain stopped." I continued to speak to myself. Then I suddenly thought of my guitar, and if it was here. I had an enormous, overpowering urge to play it.  
"Please, please, please.." I begged the air, and finally as I looked under my bed, squinting in the dark; I saw it. The beautiful shiny wood and flower carvings on the neck. "There you are." I said brightliy as I pulled the guitar out from under the bed. I strummed a few chords, feeling joy rush through my body, starting from my fingertips and erupting from the tips of my toes, making a full circle. I took another glance outside, and decided I was in a back porch mood.  
I quietly made my way down the stairs and through the living room, around my sleeping friends, and finally arrived on the backporch. I deeply inhaled the smell of rain and early morning, taking in the sounds of crickets chirping. At the end of the porch, there was a swing just like that one on the front porch, and I made my way over to it. I sat down, and luckily it was dry as a bone.  
I began strumming chords, picking up a steady rhythm. I soon began spitting out smooth lyrics from the pit of my soul, forming a song.  
It was a huge release, and it felt amazing.

_**-Hiei's POV-**_

It was damp outside from the storm the night before as I left for my morning outing. The woods behind the house was thick, my perfect getaway. I didn't mind that the bark on the tree I was perched in was soaked, dampening my back. I was just glad to be outside, it was one of the only things that brought me pleasure in this pathetic world. The only other thing that could bring happiness to me was Yukina. I'd strived so long to find her, the only blood I had left, and now I finally had. It was the only reason I would never leave that house; As long as I was there, I knew she was safe... Even if she was involved with that babbling idiot, Kuwabara. But I had to keep my indentity from her a secret... She didn't need to know I was her brother, it would be far too dangerous for her.  
As I sat in the tree, I closed my eyes, taking in deep breaths of the sweet smelling early morning air. As much as I tried to avoid it, the incident with Tsukiyo in my room kept crossing my mind, which I wanted to remain clear. I was still extremely irritated by the whole scene. What gave her the right to enter my room, without my consent, and just rifle through my personal belongings like an animal? Just because of some rediculous, childish game. I opened my eyes and glared into the distance.  
"Hn." I heard myself grunt, "Baka onna." But although I was extremely annoyed, I couldn't help but feel a pang of remorse for handling her so roughly. As much as I hated feeling this way, there was no stopping it. I had no trouble slaying a female demon, or fighting a female when challeneged, but something inside my head ate at me and festered as I remembered how hard I had gripped her, and tossed her from my room. I sighed in anger at the realization that I needed to apologize. After sitting and stewing in my anger that I'd been beaten, I cursed under my breath as I leapt down from my tree, and began to trudge my way home. "I cannot believe I'm stooping so low.." I grumbled to myself, but stopped mid sentence as my ears picked up a sound; a beautiful melody. I stopped walking and focussed in on the sound... a guitar. I detected a voice, as pure as an angels. Instantly, it calmed me without my knowledge. The sound was coming from the house, so I kept walking on in curiousity, like a moth drawn to an insect lamp.  
Soon, the house came into my view, and I spotted a figure on the porch. I decided to travel by tree at this point to remain unnoticed. I hopped from tree to tree, branch to branch, until I was settled into the tree nearest the house's back porch, maybe seven feet away.  
The figure on the porch swing was Tsukiyo. Her voice was like velvet as she sang lyrics that matched the soft tune she strummed on her guitar. Her long navy hair, with a bit of natural wave, tumbled over one shoulder and her golden eyes seemed to be smiling. Her body was curled up on the swing, her guitar proped up in front of her. I found myself inticed by her voice and her appearence.  
_*Snap out of it, Hiei.*_ I scolded myself through my thoughts as I finally realized what was taking place. I blinked my eyes hard. _*Don't go soft. She's just a pathetic girl, remember what you came here to do. Keep your word.*_  
With that, I sighed once more, bit the bullet, and dropped down from the tree, just as Tsukiyo stopped playing her song. At least that helped me to remain focus.  
She flinched, startled.  
"Oh.." Tsukiyo breathed a sigh of relief, "It's just you, Hiei. You scared me."  
I just stared at her and grunted.  
_*This is pathetic..*_ I thought to myself, knowing the words I was about to utter. I told Tsukiyo I had something to tell her, and she looked at me questioningly.  
_*Here goes nothing, I suppose..*_

_**-Tsukiyo's POV-**_

I strummed the last chord of my song, feeling a stress relief flow through my body. I sighed in content, but suddenly heard the trees rustling. Before I could look up to investigate, someone or something dropped down on the ground in front of me from the branches. I flinched in response, a bit startled.  
"Oh.." I muttered, breathing a sigh of relief, "It's just you, Hiei. You scared me."  
For a moment he simply stared at me, and then grunted.  
"I have something I need to tell you." Hiei spoke up finally, seeming as if it pained him to say so.  
I just gave him a questioning look, giving him the "okay" to go on.  
"Last night, when you were playing that... game," Hiei began, looking to the his left side, examining the grass. "I may have handled you too roughly. And I apologize for that." His speech was slightly rushed, but I still smiled knowing he was actually thinking of it.  
"It's alright, Hiei." I assured him. "No hard feelings."  
"But that doesn't give you any right to go rumaging through my personal items." Hiei informed me, turning his rock hard gaze back in my direction. I blinked, my smile fading a bit.  
"Oh.. y-yea, I know.." I replied, sheepishly blushing. "Sorry about that.."  
"Hn." Hiei retreated to his usual response. A calm wind passed through, spiraling through my hair, and wavering Hiei's.  
"So..." I finally spoke up, and Hiei looked at me.  
"So what?" He asked.  
"Does this mean we're... friends?" I asked. I decided to take a risk. "I mean.. are we cool?"  
Hiei blinked at me, but didn't respond as he made his way up the stairs and to the back door. He paused with his hands on the door handle, and looked over his shoulder at me. I awaited an answer.  
"Don't get your hopes up, onna." He said to me in a simple tone. He tried to hide it, but as he turned his head back toward the door, I saw a hint of a smirk play on his lips. But just like that, he disappeared into the house. I was left on the porch, amazed at how much speech I'd coaxed out of the stiff fire demon. I grinned to myself.  
"You must be good luck." I said softly to my guitar, patting it. I began to strum some more chords. "Looks like I'm making a break through."  
I knew Hiei would melt his front of ice soon, it would just take time. I had all the time in the world.

_**To be continued...**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Thank you so much to DevilAngelWolf27 for your great reviews & motivation to keep writing(:  
Keep up the great work on your stories, much love3**_

_

Week 2; Day 1: Water

Sadly, the end of the weekend came, and Jin had to part from us. We all waved goodbye in the front yard as he rocketed into the sky, doing a few tricks and flips before he disappeared into the clouds. But, just as one element master departed, another one appeared on the walk up to the house. He had light blue hair that was slightly wavy against his head, with three strands of seafoam green colored hair in the front, jutting down the left side of his face and partially covering his eye. His eyes were narrow and ice blue, and his skin was pale. He wore shades of blues and greens, and carried a bag over his shoulder. He smiled soft at us and waved.  
"Hey, Toya!" Kuwabara called out with a big goofy grin.  
"Hello, everyone." Toya greeted us as he arrived on the front porch of the house. "It's been quite a while."  
"It sure has." Kurama piped us with a smirk. Toya smirked back.  
"I assume you've grown tougher since our battle in the Dark Tournament." "You know I have." Toya replied, sounding cocky. As the rest of the group chatted it up with Toya about something called the "Dark Tournament", I tried to understand. *Dark Tournament..?* I thought to myself. I had no idea what they were talking about.  
"So," Toya said as he finally turned to me, "You must be Tsukiyo."  
"Yep," I nodded, shaking his hand, "That's me."  
"I'm Toya." He nodded at me. "It's nice to meet you. Now, let's get to training. We've got a lot of work to do."

Toya and I had been out in the back of the house by the lake for at least three hours now, and I was already getting the hang of water handling. I could tell it was getting on Toya's nerves that I was learning so fast. He'd throw me hurdles and I'd jump them in just a few tries. "Humph.." He grunted, narrowing his already slender eyes. "You're picking up very quickly.. but you're still no master," His last comment was spat at me curtly. I just blinked.  
"Well it's only my first day working with water." I reminded him, "I know I won't be a master for a at least a couple years.."  
"If that," Toya said, looking me in the eye, "Sometimes it takes hundreds of years for a demon or apparition to master an element. You, you're what's called an angel." Toya explained to me in a sharp tone, trying to make himself seem bigger than me. "In the demon world, angels don't compare. They can't compete."  
"Uh..." I stammered, not knowing what to say. Was this guy serious?  
"Let's get back to work." Toya snapped suddenly, throwing more commands my way. I stayed silent the rest of the training day, until finally Toya had to leave until tomorrow. I couldn't have been happier, and I wished I had Jin back more than anything.  
"Asshole..." I muttered as Toya walked away from me in the backyard. I sighed and realized there was nothing I could do about it.  
"Hey, Tsukiyo." Yusuke greeted me as I walked through the door. The girls were out and about, and I wished I could have been with them instead of training with the grinch.  
"Hi." I greeted him back. I headed for the stairs.  
"How was training with Toya?" Kurama asked, sitting on the opposite side of the couch as Yusuke.  
"Oh.. it was uh.. it was great." I replied with a fake smile. "I'm gonna go take a shower."  
"Alright." Both the boys said to me, and I trudged my way up the stairs. Down the boys hall, I could hear Kuwabara snoring in his room.  
"How am I gonna deal with this guy for a whole week...?" I groaned to myself. "I guess I'll just have to deal with it..."

Week 2; Day 5: Water

I was more than half way through my water training, and I was exhausted. Toya had me training rougher and rougher, into the night sometimes, like this particular night. Everyone else had decided to go out, and of course I'd been left behind because of my rediculous training sessions. I had bruises and scratches on my body from our sparring, and I was in pain, but I couldn't give up.  
"Again." Toya ordered after we had sparred for the fifth time in 45 minutes. "Your technique is far off, and your speed needs work."  
I stood bent over, my hands on my knees and my head bowed. I took deep, jagged breaths, feeling like I might pass out. *Only two more days..* I thought to myself, squeezing my eyes shut, *You can do this, Tsukiyo.. Stay strong, he won't get the best of you.*  
I stood up straight, and took a fighting stance. My muscles ached and my lungs felt like they were torn to shreds. I focused and gathered water from the vapor in the air, and pulled it to my body, like a snake hovering between my hands. My eyes glowed with a blue aura. Toya didn't waste any time, and darted away. I was so weak, I couldn't track his spirit energy. I was a sitting duck. Plus, the darkness and lack of moonlight didn't help at all. My breathing was too heavy, affecting my hearing. And that's when he hit me. I let out a cry of pain as Toya sliced my back with a razor sharp blade of ice attached to his arm. I lost control of the water and it splashed onto the ground before I fell into it, smearing mud and grass stains all over my arms and my clothes, as well as a bit of blood from the slice in my back.  
"Get up." Toya barked, standing above me. "We're going again."  
"Toya.." I breathed, "I can't.."  
"Get up." Toya spoke louder and a bit shorter. "Now."  
I couldn't even find the breath to answer him. We'd been doing this all day long, it wasn't training. It was more like torture, or death row. I knew he was trying to break me apart, and it was working. "I...can't.." I gasped, wincing as a breeze hit the fresh wound on my back. It stung. Before I knew it, Toya had grabbed me by the arm, I didn't even have the strength to yelp in pain.  
"You can't?" He hissed at me, "How do you expect to get any stronger if you drop down in every fight?"  
He tossed me deeper into the trees, fading away from the house. I glared at him.  
"What the hell are you doing?" I managed to shout at him.  
"You're weak," He replied darkly, "I'm training you. Spar."  
He darted at me, and my eyes widened. I knew I couldn't dodge. He hit me hard in the stomach and I fell to the ground.  
"Fight back." Toya ordered flatly.  
I just gasped for air and layed on the ground, praying for him to just go away. This had gone way too far. It was getting dangerous, he was aiming to hurt me, not help me. Finally, I pushed myself to get up. I stood in shaky legs, glaring at Toya. I wanted to say so much, but kept my mouth shut. I didn't want to waste my oxygen.  
"You'll never survive in this world if you don't know how to fight." Toya snarled as he aimed a powerful kick at me, which I just barely dodged, "Especially if you ever find yourself at the mercy of the Dark Tournament... You don't have to be competeing in order for a pack of demons to attack you..."  
I just watched Toya's face twist into something unbelievebly sinister. He took a few steps toward me, and I began to feel a wave of fear wash over me.  
"Toya..." I whispered, my voice coming out weak and shaky. I backed myself up into a tree trunk. I had absolutely no where to go. "What... what are you doing...?"  
He didn't answer me, he just kept talking in that chilling tone of voice. "At this point, even a measly C class demon could easily rip you to shreds."  
The next thing I knew, Toya's icy fingers were wrapped around my scratched up arm, yanking me upwards a bit. I gasped in pain and my exposed & freshly wounded back was raked against the rough tree bark. Toya pressed his body against mine, trapping me. I struggled as much as I could, feeling his breath on my face and neck.  
"A pretty little thing like you would make a tasty snack for a demon..." Toya hissed into my ear. I turned my head away from his mouth, only for him to tangle his fingers into my hair and yank my head back into place. It was impossible to move. He smirked at me. "And, of course, a lovely toy for me..." My eyes widened. Toy? I was not his toy. Toya yanked both my arms above my head, pinning them at the wrists with his left hand, while his right hand roamed my body. I screamed, but Toya slapped his hand over my mouth.  
"Quiet." He barked hoarsly at me. "If you want to come out of this alive, you won't say another word... if you do..." He paused, locking eyes with me, staring into my very soul. "I _**will**_ kill you, Tsukiyo..."  
He asked me if I understood. I waited a moment and finally nodded yes, feeling my eyes brim with hot tears. Angry tears. Fearful tears. I hated him, I wished he would die, and that was all I could think of as he kissed my mouth. I didn't respond and he didn't seem to care. I whimpered as Toya bit at my neck, much too hard. I tilted my head towards the sky and just begged whoever was up there for it to stop. God, anyone. Toya's hand crawled around my body, from my breasts to my legs... inching upward. I cried harder, sobbing now, as his fingers reached the button and zipper of my jean shorts.  
"Oh, god," I heard myself whisper, "Please, stop, please..." I remembered the night of my birthday, back at the club. This was almost an exact repeat, and I couldn't believe I was reliving it again. The only thing that was different this time was there was no one to save me, and Toya made sure to remind of me that. He inched my shorts down a little bit off one hip, when suddenly, something slashed at his left side.  
"AGGH!" Toya screamed, letting go of me and grasping his side, blood seeping through his finger tips. He staggered backward a few feet, and a flash of black dropped down in front of me.  
"Hiei.." I whispered. Someone above had been listening to me. I sank to the ground, and let the tears flow freely; I had been saved once again.

-Hiei's POV-

"Come on Hiei, come out and have some fun for once!" Urameshi's girlfriend practically begged me as I stood in the kitchen, drinking a glass of water. I peered at her with such a look that caused her to slink away. Just as I wanted. As she slithered away, the fox ambled up to me.  
"Are you sure you want to stay here, Hiei?" He asked me. I looked up at him and placed my empty water glass out.  
"A night out on the town isn't really my "thing", Kurama," I informed him flatly. "I'm going up to my room."  
"Alright." Kurama replied with a slight sigh. "Has Tsukiyo come in from training yet? Its almost dark."  
I paused at the base of the staircase, taking a sideways glance out of the large dining room window. Kurama was right, the sun was setting and the sky was orange. There was no Tsukiyo or Toya in sight.  
"No." I replied simply before heading up the stairs. The fox bid me farewell and I gave him a wave without turning to face him. Finally I was in the safe haven of my room. I tossed myself onto my bed, folding my arms behind my head. I closed my eyes, but soon opened them as I remembered Kurama saying that Tsukiyo hadn't returned from her training session with Toya. I took another glance out my window, which had a straight view of the pond about an acre a way. They were no where in sight.  
"Hn." I grunted and turned my eyes back to the ceiling. "Why do I even care?"  
I had been asking myself that question for the past couple days now, and I still hadn't come up with an answer. But, answer or not, I could not deny the fact that I was inticed by her in some way or another. It could be her beautiful singing voice, like that of an angel. Or her piercing golden eyes, or her way of drawing my attention when she walked into a room. She was indeed very attractive...  
I shook my head and squinted my eyes. "Get ahold of yourself, Hiei.." I growled angrilly at myself, "She's just a girl. A stupid onna."  
But I was still having trouble convincing myself of this. I had lived in a house with girls like Keiko and Botan for at least a year now, but neither of them had caught my attention this way, or any female at all for that matter. She was just a girl, but there was something very, very different...  
At that moment, I heard a distant cry from the woods, a female scream. I jerked my head toward the window, but there was nothing there. But as far as I knew, there were only two people on the property... Toya and Tsukiyo, and that scream was definitely not that of a man. There was only one explaination. I quickly grabbed my katana from the shelf it rested on, pushed opened my window, and leapt from the second story, landing swiftly on my feet. I darted into the woods, heading in the direction the scream had errupted from. The energy emitting from the area felt extremely uneasy, and I had a feeling what I found would not be good.  
And my feeling had been right... Disgustingly right. When I arrived at the scene, a certain rage washed over me, but I concealed it, doing nothing more but grip the handle of my katana. My eyes drank in the sight of Tsukiyo, bruised and scratched, pushed up against a tree. Tears ran down her face, streaking the dirt that stained it. In front of her, Toya was pressed against her, pinning her wrists above her body. Neither of them noticed my presense.  
"Quiet." I heard him growl at her in a low voice, "If you want to come out of this alive, you won't say a word... if you do..." There was a pause, "I _**will**_ kill you, Tsukiyo..."  
I gripped my katana harder. My skin felt like it might split, but my anger kept me frozen.  
_*Why aren't you moving, Hiei? Go, go you stupid bastard!* _I cursed myself in my mind, but my muscles would not unlock. He whispered something else into her ear which I could not hear, and she nodded after a few seconds. He then began violating her body, biting her neck, rubbing his filthy free hand all over her. I gritted my teeth. Why couldn't I move?  
His hand dropped to her shorts.  
"Oh, god," Tsukiyo whispered, "Please, stop, please..."  
He tried to yank her shorts down, and I finally regained my movement. I charged Toya with remarkable speed, pulling my katana from its sheath and slashing his side in one swift movement. He let out an excruciating cry, and stumbled backwards, away from Tsukiyo. She just stood there, wide eyed, and I placed myself infront of her.  
"Hiei..." She whispered, and I heard her slid to the ground in a sitting position.  
"Get out of her, ice youkai," I growled from the back of my throat, standing with my hand in my pocket and my blood stained katana out at my side. "If you want to live, you'll never show your face in my presense again... Or I _**will**_ kill you.."  
Toya just glared at me, his eyes twitching. He grasped his side, blood trickling through his fingers. He narrowed my eyes at him, hearing Tsukiyo sob from behind me. The staredown didn't last long.  
"This isn't over..." He whispered, looking straight at Tsukiyo, I pulled my katana upright, drawing his ice blue eyes to mine. "But our training is... Keep a sharp lookout, angel..." Toya smirked. "You never know who's watching.."  
With his final word, Toya retreated into the darkness, surprisingly quickly seeing as how deeply I'd wounded him. I paused a moment, sheathing my katana. It made a metallic sound. I slowly turned to Tsukiyo and peered down at her. She was covered in grass stains, dirt, and tears. Bruises dotted her arms and legs, and a part of her stomach that was exposed. Her eyes were overflowing with fear, and she noticed my eyes, she quickly buttoned her shorts.  
"Don't flatter yourself," I said to her, softer than I normally spoke to her, "I'm not paying attention to that." She wasn't listening, she still struggled to button her shorts, but her fingers fumbled. I sighed, and knelt down to her. She didn't look at me, but I took a glance at her face. It was a bit awkward as I pushed her hands out of the way and buttoned her shorts for her.  
"Thank you..." She stammered, so softly I almost didn't hear her. I didn't reply. Seeing she couldn't stand on her own, I slowly pulled her arm over my shoulders, and pulled her up myself. She groaned in pain, and I noticed her back was sticky. I pulled my hand back and noticed there was a bloodstain. I clenched my fist. I wished I would have killed that bastard.  
"Come on, onna." I sighed again as I lifted her onto my back. "Hold on."  
I darted toward the house, and felt her tighten her grip against me. A warmth rose to my cheeks, and for a moment a felt confused...  
What in the world was happening inside my head?

_**-Tsukiyo's POV-**_

"Hold on." Hiei said to me before he darted in the direction toward the house. I tightened my grip around him and closed my eyes, feeling both as if I was about to pass out, and that we were going to collide with all the trees that Hiei would dodge at the very last second. Before I knew it, we arrived on the front porch, but Hiei didn't put me down. He slung me around quickly but gently and carried me bridal style toward the kitchen, and upstairs. I was confused as to where we were going or why he had saved me, but too tired to ask him for details. Finally he stopped at his bedroom door, pushed it open, and then kicked it shut with his foot.  
He set me on his bed, and I barely had enough energy to sit up. Hiei knelt down and dug under his bed, pulling out a white box with a red cross on it.  
"Take your shirt off." He said, looking me in the face. My cheeks turned the color of his eyes, which narrowed. "Get your mind out of the gutter... That wound will get infected if it goes untreated, and unless you think you can clean and dress your back then by all means, leave the damn shirt on."  
I blinked once before realizing his point. I slowly took my shirt off, leaving my body exposed, the only thing left was my bra. I could see Hiei trying to keep his eyes off my breasts, but I didn't say anything. He may have been a demon, but he was still a member of the male race. He told me to turn around, and I did.  
I cried out when he applied a cold liquid, feeling a horrible burning sensation.  
"It stings." I said in a hoarse voice.  
"I know." he replied, "Hold still."  
I held as still as possible, and soon my back was cleaned and dressed, and Hiei placed his box back under his bed. "Thank you.." I said to him as he made eye contact with me once more. He looked at me a moment, then redirected his eyes, staring out the window.  
"I don't need your thanks." Hiei informed me, standing up. "I was simply doing what was right."  
I looked down at the floor. Then, without warning, Hiei picked me up off his bed. I flinched, taken by surprise, and gripped him around his neck.  
"I'm not going to drop you, onna." He told me as he took me out of his room. He made his way down the boy's wing, and soon entered the girl's. He allowed me to wash some of the dirt from my body in the bathroom before escorting me to my room. I still didn't understand why he was glued to my side, or seeming to care so much more than usual.  
He placed me on my bed, and then turned and made his way to the door.  
"Wait," I called out to him, working up the courage. "I... I really don't want to be alone. I'll be asleep soon.. will you stay until I am, Hiei..?" I didn't know what came over me to ask him, but I was so desperate not to be left alone. I heard Hiei let out a breath.  
"Fine..." He growled, but I didn't find the hint of annoyance or meaness in his voice that I usually did. "But you'd better to fall asleep quick."  
"Okay.." I replied as he took a seat in the pretty white chair a few feet away from my bed. He looked so out of place. I smiled a bit.  
"What." Hiei demanded as he crossed his arms.  
"Nothing.." I said, closing my eyes. I was asleep in less than a minute.

_**-Hiei's POV-**_

Tsukiyo had asked me to stay. Part of me wanted to ignore her pleading her leave, shutting the door behind me, but I found myself turning around, sitting in a chair facing her bed, and promising her I'd stay till she fell asleep, provided that it was quick. She agreed.  
"What." I asked her as I noticed a smile creep across her lips.  
"Nothing.." She told me, fading into a slumber. At least she'd kept her promise.  
But I hadn't kept mine to myself. I stayed for at least fifteen minutes, watching this girl sleep, her chest rise and fall. Why was I doing this? She might as well be a stranger, I barely knew her. But her face... it was fit for an angel, which was completely ironic. I felt my face soften from its usual stone stature as her nose twitched in her sleep. My eyes drifted down to the bandages on her back; I'd never put her shirt back on. I felt anger fill my heart once more, still wishing I would have killed Toya instead of merely wounding him. I swore if I ever saw him again, I wouldn't be so merciful.  
Finally, after thirty minutes flying by, I pushed myself from the chair I sat in, and left her room, hoping I'd soon have an aswer as to why this girl was causing my mind and soul to spin out of control...

_**To be continued...**_


	11. Chapter 11

After sleeping through the night, I woke the next morning around 10:00, feeling sore and groggy. I slowly sat up in my bed, pressing my palms to my eyes, remembering the events of yesterday... The parts involving Toya were all too clear, and the parts involving Hiei were all too confusing. Why had he acted like that? Not that it was a bad thing. I preferred this Hiei much more than the icy cold Hiei. But still... it was kind of weird. "Okay, I can do this." I encouraged myself, remembering how sore my body was as I gazed upon my closet. I wanted so badly to change out of those disgusting clothes. I couldn't believe I'd slept all night in them, and made a mental note to wash my bedding about seven times in a row. I could almost see an outline of my bed in dirt where I'd slept.  
"Blegh.." I gagged as I slowly pushed myself up. I wouldn't have been surprised if the sheets had stuck to me, but luckily they didn't. I slowly hobbled over to my closet, groaning and gasping the whole five feet there. I pulled open the doors and scanned my wardrobe. Luckily, since it was getting just a bit chilly, I could get by wearing long sleaves and pants to hide the bruises and scratches that Toya had marked me with. I selected a pair of light wash jeans that fit snuggly and hugged my hips, and a baggy brown shirt with long sleaves and a white star on the front. I exited my room, seeing that everyone's door was open so they must have been up for a while. I snuck into the bathroom, slowly peeled the bandages off that Hiei had replied last night, and slowly stepped into the shower. My wounded back was a bit better, but still stung when the water slid over it, causing me to squint my eyes and grit my teeth. But, it wouldn't need bandages again. I hurried my shower, dried off and brushed my teeth, got dressed and quickly applied my make up. I did a once around in the mirror to make sure my marks were covered, luckily there wasn't more than a few tiny scratches on my face, hidden by the make up. I exited the bathroom, feeling the contrast of the air in the rest of the house with the air in the bathroom; nice and cool. As I neared the stairs, I heard a voice; Koenma's, argueing with another voice; Botan's. Koenma sounded angry and Botan was trying to calm him down. Out of curiousity, I sat at the top of the stairs and listened, out of sight.  
"He's disappeared. DISAPPEARED!" Koenma shouted, and I could hear him pacing back and forth. "That bastard... that filthy bastard, I trusted him. I trusted him to come to this home, this home that I built, and train my sister."  
"Koenma, sir..-" Botan began to say to him in an attempt to calm him down, but he shouted over her.  
"My sister..." He growled, then slammed his fists down on something. A table, maybe. I jumped. "He touched her.. He TOUCHED. MY SISTER. He beat the hell out of her, and he touched her..."  
Once again Botan tried to console him, but he wouldn't have it. I felt my heart pound in my chest... Hiei must have told him. "I've sent out warrants for his arrest. But he's no where to be found." Koenma said, sounding as if he was talking through his teeth. "You said you've contacted Jin?" "Yes," Kurama's voice suddenly piped up, "He's heard nothing from Toya."  
"Yea, he said he hasn't seen him in a few weeks." Yusuke's voice found it's way into the air. God, was the whole house down there listening to my horror story?  
"I'll have his head when he's caught... I'll fucking kill him." He paused, and then spoke again, "This is not what my mother wanted for Tsukiyo's future here with us. I promised to keep her safe and I've already broken it..."  
"C'mon, Koenma, its not your fault.." Kuwabara's voice said, sounding sincere, "Toya was a good guy... he used to be.."  
"Yea.." Yusuke piped up again, "What the hell happened..."  
Then, it was silent. I looked up at the ceiling and sighed, realizing I couldn't hide at the top of the stairs forever. I forced myself to stand up, and walk down the stairs. Just as I suspected, everyone was sitting in the living room, including Keiko and Yukina, who hadn't spoken up. They each looked sad and scared, as if imagining my ordeal happening to them.  
"...Hi, everyone..." I muttered, and I could tell they knew I'd heard the whole thing. "Toya disappeared...?"  
Everyone looked at me and nodded, and I stared at the floor. I'd never feel safe knowing he was out there somewhere. I could just hear him, telling me to watch my back.  
"Oh, Tsuki..." Yukina said sadly, getting up from her seat next to Kuwabara and hugging my gently, obviously knowing of my bruises. Everyone must have known, but I didn't regret wearing long sleaves and jeans. Botan and Keiko also looked at me sadly, and the guys looked pissed, like they wanted to kill someone. I scanned the room and found no Hiei, though. A part of me was angry that he told Koenma about Toya trying to hurt me, but most of me was grateful that he cared just enough to say something. I needed to talk to him. But before that, I had to talk to Koenma, who was asking me into the other room. Everyone else tried to get focused on something else but wound up sort of just... sitting.  
Koenma guided me into the other room silently, and turned to me. He asked me very quietly if what he was told was true, even though he knew the answer... He was just torturing himself further, but I could do nothing to help it.  
"...Yes, it's true, Koenma," I said to him, feeling horrible, as if I'd done something wrong. I wanted so badly to tell him that it wasn't true. It didn't help that my brother's eyes instantly grew sad and glassy, as if he was strongly fighting the urge to cry.  
"Hiei told me you're wounded.." He said to me. So my guess was right... Hiei had told him. I nodded in response, and slowly turned so my back faced him. I took a deep breath, and lifted my shirt enough so Koenma could see the whole cut diagonally across my back. There was a pause as Koenma gazed at it, and finally he placed his hand on mine.  
"That's enough.." He whispered, "You can put your shirt down now, Tsukiyo.." I could hear the anger saturating his voice once more. I turned back and looked at Koenma, not knowing what to say. I felt like I needed to apologize, but I bit my tongue. That wasn't the right thing to say, I'd done nothing wrong. And then, as if reading my every thought, Koenma spoke:  
"I'm so sorry, imoto," he told me, calling me the Japanese name for little sister. "I'm doing a horrible job as an older brother... I should be protecting you, not leaving you with... with... savages like Toya.." he clenched his fists. I felt something pang in my heart as I watched Koenma become so enraged but at the same time... sad, hurt for my suffering. He truly did care about me, I really was his little sister.  
"But Toya was a good man... He was true, I never expected him to turn like this... But I swear I'll have him killed when my crews find him, I'll-"  
I cut Koenma off by thrusting myself into him, wrapping my arms around his waist and squeezing him, ignoring the aches it caused my body. I buried my head into his chest and suddenly felt comfort, something like I'd never felt before.  
"You're not a horrible brother," I whispered to him, "You're a perfect brother."  
Even though I hadn't known for very long that Koenma was my brother, it felt right to tell him this. At first, Koenma was taken by surprise by my hug, but it didn't take him long to return the embrace, keeping his squeeze extremely gentle. I kept speaking.  
"...You're my brother..." My voice wavered. This was real, "You're my ani..." I said, using the Japanese word for big brother. "Don't blame yourself." Koenma said nothing, but he took a deep, shaky breath and let it out slowly in order to calm down.  
"Thank you, Tsukiyo.." He mumbled to me. "I'm trying to so hard to make you comfortable and happy.. I just feel like I've failed you, and our mother.."  
"Our mother is proud of you, Koenma." I reassured him, taking a step back and placing my hand against his face. "And you were wrong.."  
"Wrong...?" the prince blinked, "About what..?"  
"When you said it would take a long time for this to feel real, to feel like we were really family..." I said, looking at the ground. "I feel it now. It didn't take long at all." Koenma smiled.  
"That's so good to hear," He hugged me again, placing his hand on the back of my head, "I do love you, Tsukiyo. You'll always be my little sister."  
I pulled away again and smiled. He smiled back, and we walked back into the family room after a few deep, rejuvenating breaths. As we walked in with smiles on our faces, everyone seemed to understand that the issue was trying to be forgotten, not to say that it wasn't to be taken care of, and the topic was changed.  
"So, I've got something else to tell you all, and it seems to have come up at a somewhat perfect time," Koenma announced as he sat on the arm of the couch next to Keiko. "It's on a much higher note."  
"What is it?" Keiko asked, seeming very interested.  
"Well, the yearly Spirit World Ball is coming up, and its time to reintroduce the princess," He gestured to me, "Honor and Remember the Queen, give speeches, let loose, and just have fun."  
"So, what does this have to do with us?" Yusuke asked as he propped his feet up on the coffee table.  
"You're all invited to come and enjoy yourselves, and of course you'll need to be there, Tsukiyo. You'll be taking a break from your training, obviously... I was planning that aspect of this, anyway."  
"So we have to get all dressed up and what not?" Kuwabara asked in a somewhat glum tone, and groaned when Koenma nodded. "Uggh! I hate monkey suits.." He folded his arms and pouted.  
"Well, Kuwabara, the Spirit World Ball is a very sophisticated, formal event! It's fun to dress up!" Botan said cheerfully. "Oh, I love shopping for the poofiest, cup-cakey-est dress ever! Of course in pink."  
"I can picture that.." I said, letting out a giggle, along with Keiko and Yukina. Yusuke and Kuwabara rolled their eyes and Kurama just smiled.  
"Yes, well," Koenma cleared his throat, "The ball is in two weeks, which gives you all plenty of time to plan, and shop, and what not."  
The girls and I exchanged excited glances, while the boys just groaned and sighed and complained.  
"I can't wait!" Keiko squealed.  
"Me either," Yukina agreed, a big smile on her face, "This is going to be so much fun!"  
"I hope you all will enjoy yourselves." Koenma said to us with a small smile. He got up to leave, but Botan stopped him, asking him to stay for lunch. He turned.  
"Well," He said, "I've got some gaps in my work today... How could I say no?"  
I smiled, loving this chance to spend some time with Koenma, and get to know him even better as my older brother. I was definitely looking forward to this Spirit World Ball, it would be a great chance to let loose. During lunch, Koenma told me to put together a small speech to give at dinner, but I had a far better idea...

_**-One Week Later-**_

I'd spent most of my time resting and healing, and in no time my bruises cleared up, and the cut on my back faded into a scratch. It left a faint scar, but I didn't mind much. Today, though, was not a day of rest. The ball was in a week, and the girl's and I had planned an outing to go find our dressed, shoes, jewelry, and everything else we may need for that night.  
"Come on, Botan!" Keiko called up the stairs, standing beside Yukina and I. We were all dressed in cute, mall-going outfits; Keiko in her jeans, light pink t-shirt, brown jacket and white sneakers, Yukina in her yellow shorts, white long sleave shirt with a blue vest over it, white leg warmers and brown loafers, and I was wearing a grey off the shoulder sweater, red plaid skirt, black stockings, and black flats. Botan yelled down that she would ready in thirty seconds. Five minutes went by. Yukina frenched braided my hair. Two more minutes went by. I looked up at the ceiling and groaned.  
"BOTAN!" Yukina, Keiko, and I all yelled in unison, fed up with waiting. "Okay, okay," Her voice came from the top of the stairs, and finally she appeared, wearing a green shirt with ruffles down the front, a white cropped jacket, jeans, and white sneakers that kind of looked like Keiko.  
"Finally," Keiko sighed. "Let's go."  
"Alright, but wait a second.." Botan said, and we all shot her a glare. "Do these pants make my butt look big.."  
"No, Botan." I sighed.  
"Are you sure.."  
"Yes." Yukina assured her, somehow keeping her cool. "They look very cute on you."  
"Well, I don't know.." She placed her hands on her rear and made an unsure face. "Maybe I should go change.."  
"NO!" we all yelled, grabbing her by the arm, pulling her out the front door and down the driveway, and finally tossed her into the car. She glared at all of us as we locked the doors, and pulled out of the driveway, on our way to the mall, which was 20 minutes away.

"You make, me, feel, like i'm livin' a, teen, age, dream, the way you turn me on!" The girls and I had the radio blasting, singing along to Yukina's Katy Perry CD all the way to the mall. "I, can't, sleep, let's runaway and don't ever look back, don't ever look back!"  
We laughed, and by the time we reached the busy shopping mall, our throats felt raw and our voices were almost burnt out. As we walked up to the mall, a man a little older than us stopped to hold the door open for us. "Thank you," We all said in unison with sweet smiles.  
"No problem, ladies.." He replied, his eyes dropping down our bodies and then snapping back up. He let go of the door after all of us had gone through, and then went on his marry way, taking one last peek over his shoulder. He thought we hadn't noticed, but we all burst into a fit of giggles.  
"Did you see that guy?" I cackled. "What a perv."  
"He was kind of creepy, wasn't he?" Yukina agreed, placing her hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles.  
"Well you can't really blame him," Botan said, looking back at us with a wink, "We're all cute as a button."  
"Just cute?" Keiko objected, "We're pretty hot."  
The four of us got lost in our giggles for the millionth time that day, and decided to head over to Starbucks.

As always, my nice hot french vanilla latte was amazing, it was a great contrast to the chilly weather outside.  
"Alright," Botan thought to herself as we peered at a gigantic map in the center of the mall. "There's five dress stores in the mall, two on the first floor and three on the second floor.." "Well, the first one's that way," Keiko added in, pointing to our left. "Lilana's Prom and Bridal."  
"So we should go there first," Yukina said, sipping her hot coco; she didn't like coffee.  
"Sounds like a good idea, and we'll just make our way around." I said, and that wrapped it up. We headed into Lilana's Prom and Bridal, and dispersed through the store. I sipped my coffee as I pulled a few dresses, one black one, one dark green one, and one pink one. The rest of the girls pulled some dresses off the racks, and we were ready to try on.  
"I don't like this one," I heard Yukina say from her dressing room, "It's too... showy..."  
"The yellow one?" Keiko asked, "I'm trying on the same one. I think Yusuke would bust a hole in his pants if I wore this... way too much boob."  
"Next." I said as I pulled off the pink dress, which had ruffles all over it. "Pink ruffles are definitely not my thing."  
"I love pink ruffles!" Botan squealed from her dressing room right next to mine, "Oh, I like this dress... it's so cute!"  
"I hate all of mine.." I grumbled.  
"Me, too." Yukina agreed.  
"Me, three." Keiko chimed in.  
"Oh, alright, then I guess let's head to the other store." Botan said, and we all got dressed, hung our dresses back up, and left to explore the other stores.

An hour and a half and at least fifty dresses each later, we found our perfect matches.  
Botan's dress was, of course, a sugary pink color with ruffly sleaves, and a poofy ball gown shape. She had gotten some magenta clored pumps to go with it, I doubted you'd be able to see them under the extravagent skirt. Keiko had picked out a yellow spaghetti strap dress with orange floral designs and a mermaid fit, with a pair of white peep toe heels to match. Yukina found a black halter dress that flowed to her mid thigh, a white sash tieing around her waist into a bow behind her back, and red heels. My dress was a simple silky purple strapless with beading around the bust, and a slit up the right leg, with matching strappy silver heels.  
After we'd found our jewelry, we decided it was time for a lunch break. We each ordered a hamburger, fried, and milkshakes in the food court, and found a seat. We chatted about girl things, like how we wanted to do our hair and make up for the ball, and each of us bugged Botan about her "thing" with Kurama.  
"So..." I asked with a sly smile, "Has he kissed you..?"  
"What?" Botan asked as she blushed. "He doesn't like me..."  
"Come on, Botan," Yukina said as she rolled her eyes. "He's crazy about you, and you know it."  
Botan blushed deeper and we pressed harder into the issue, until finally she broke.  
"Okay, okay," She said, waving her hands about dramatically, "So we have little crushes on each other... big deal." She sipped her milkshake.  
"That doesn't answer the question," Keiko proded at her, "Has he kissed you yet?"  
"Well, no.." Botan replied with a small smile, "But I'm hoping that will change the night of the ball."  
We all squealed and giggled, but after it was done I let out a sigh.  
"You guys are lucky." I said, poking my fries into the blob of ketchup next to them. I didn't even want to eat them, I was full. The girls looked at me quizically.  
"Why's that?" Yukina asked.  
"Well, you all have that special someone," I explained to them, "I do get kinda jelous when I see all of you snuggling with your little hubbys," I smiled to let them know I was okay, despite being just a tad lonely.  
"Aw, Tsuki," Keiko said with a pouty lip, "You'll find someone... or maybe someone will find you in a couple nights." She winked at me.  
"Yea, maybe.." I said, now stirring my melted milkshake around. "If Koenma will let any guy get near me now."  
We were all quiet for a minute, until Keiko piped up.  
"I need to use the restroom, I'll be back in a minute." She stood up from the table.  
"I'll go with you, Keiko." Botan said as she too pushed her chair back from the table and stood up. With that, they both weaved through the crowd of people on their way to the restroom, leaving Yukina and I alone at the table. I'd never really talked to Yukina one on one, so I didn't really know what to say. I asked her how she was doing, and she replied that she was fine. She told me she was sorry about the whole Toya episode, and I told her it was over and that I would be fine. We all had our bad moments. There was a calm quiet between us, until she spoke again.  
"You know, Tsuki... Hiei seems to act differently when you're around."  
"Huh..?" I asked. I was really confused, but extremely interested. "What do you mean?"  
"Well," She took a moment to think, "Ever since you've moved in with us, Hiei's seems to come out from hiding more often."  
I kept listening, feeling intrigued.  
"Because of me..?"  
"Yes, it seems that way. I've seen the way he looks at you, too."  
"Like what?"  
"He usually keeps this... sort of front up, he likes to make people think he cares for nothing and no one. But when he looks at you.. that changes. It's like he's thinking something over, and his eyes are very soft."  
I nodded, staring right at her. I wondered if what she was saying was true.  
"You just seem to bring a different side out in him, one that all of us have rarely seen." Yukina nibbled on a near cold french fry, "It's kind of sweet, actually... I think he has a little bit of a crush on you."  
"A crush?" I said, wide eyed, "I don't think so, Yukina."  
"Why not?"  
"I just don't think he sees me that way."  
"Well then, only time will tell I suppose." She smiled at me, and I just stared blankly for a moment before returning her smile.  
"Yea.." I muttered.  
By then, Botan and Keiko were back at the table, and we were ready to go.  
The whole way home, I couldn't get what Yukina was telling me out of my head. Did Hiei really have a...crush on me...? No, he couldn't. I didn't want to get my hopes up..  
Hopes up? Hopes up for what? Did I want him to like me?  
... Did I like him? I just didn't know... this wall too confusing for me.  
I just wanted some answers, or else I knew I'd drive myself crazy.  
But, as Yukina said, only time would tell.

That night, after dinner, I decided to head to bed early. Something about my mood was just... different. I felt strange, ever since Yukina told me about Hiei at lunch, I had felt extremely confused. It seemed like the only thing I could think of was his hypnotic crimson red eyes, and the way he'd been by my side to protect me from Toya...  
"This is so fucking confusing." I groaned, pressing my palms to my eyes. I felt a headache coming on. "I don't know what I feel... or what I even want to feel..."  
I sighed, rolling over in bed and staring out my window. I had left the curtains open by mistake, but felt too lazy to close them. I got uncomfortable with this position shorly, and rolled over on my other side, but I didn't like facing the door, so I lay on my back looking up at the ceiling fan, rotating slowly. This process repeated until three long hours passed. I stared at the bright red "12:00" on my digital clock, and sighed in frustration. I threw my freshly washed covers off my body, and yanked my guitar out from under my bed. I trudged down the stairs, no one was awake. I brought myself outside, but I didn't just stop at the front porch. I walked all the way down by the lake, a cool wind blowing past me in my sports bra and pajama pants, but I didn't so much as shiver. My mind was in a totally different place. I plopped myself in the grass by the lake, and instantly began strumming my guitar. I rolled into the chords of Miley Cyrus's song "When I look at you", and began to sing... and sing my heart out.  
"When my world is falling apart, when there's no light to break up the dark, that's when I... I... I look at you.." I sang richly, not holding anything back. I closed my eyes. But again, all I could see was Hiei's eyes. I snapped my hand from motion, stopping the song short.  
"Why won't you get out of my head..." I pleaded with myself. "I don't understand..."  
"Why'd you stop.." A very familiar voice sounded from above me. I calmly looked up in the branches of the tree I was sitting against, and was met with those eyes I could never forget. He stared down at me, a flat expression on his face.  
"I don't know.." I replied, turning my gaze from him and out onto the lake. "Just too much to think about." Hiei then dropped down next to me gracefully, sitting with his legs crossed, and his arms propping him up. He began talking to me as if we were old friends, which was extremely, extremely strange. It made me feel kind of strange.  
"What's there to think about, onna," He proded, staring out on the water twinkling in the moonlight.  
"Why don't you ever call me by name?" I asked without even realizing it, but I went with it. I did want to know, anyway. Hiei peered at me.  
"Fine," He grunted, but still spoke softly, "What's there to think about, Tsukiyo?"  
"Well, a lot of things..." I replied, leaning my head against my guitar. "Confusing things.."  
"Like..?"  
"I'm not telling." I said. I wasn't about to tell him what I was really thinking about... which was him.  
Hiei sighed a bit, sounding annoyed, but didn't get up and leave like I expected him to.  
"How do we always wind up in the same place at the same time?" I wondered aloud with a small smile. "It's kinda weird."  
"Fine," Hiei said flatly, beginning to stand up, "I'll be more than happy to leave you here by yourself."  
"No, no," I said quickly, even though I could tell he was lying, "Stay. I didn't mean for you to leave, I was just wondering."  
He sat back in the same position.  
"How am I supposed to know. Coincidence, I suppose."  
I nodded my head.  
"Yea... makes sense." I agreed with him. There was a moment of silence between us.  
"Yukina told me she talked to you today." Hiei suddenly informed me, and I blushed at just the thought of remembering what she'd said, "She's really taken a liking to you."  
"She's a sweet girl." I whispered in response. Hiei nodded before speaking again.  
"She is." He paused, "You two have a lot in common."  
I looked at him. Did he just call me sweet? Or did he mean something else?  
"We do?" I asked, "Like what?"  
"The innocence... the singing voice of an angel..." He listed a few things, "The beauty..." I saw his face turn a tint of pink with this last comment, but he turned his head away, so I pretended as if I didn't see it.  
"Oh..." I smiled a bit in the dark, "Well, thank you, Hiei."  
"Hn.." He snorted at me. It was quiet again. The breeze blew, chilling me a little bit. I shivered and rubbed my arms, goosbumps rising all over me. Suddenly, Hiei thrust something at me. His black cloak hung from his hand, extended to me.  
"Take it." He practically ordered me. I blinked.  
"But... then you'll be cold." I told him.  
"Just take it, Tsukiyo." Hiei said, sharper now. "I don't get cold so easily."  
I nodded and slowly took his cloak, remembering he was a fire demon. They were naturally always heated. I wrapped the soft material around me like a blanket. It smelled like charred, smokey firewood... just like Hiei. I looked over at him after a moment, and noticed a small chain around his neck, attached to it was a small, beautiful gem in a round shape.  
"What's that?" I asked, pointing to it. "It's pretty."  
Without looking at me or what I was pointing at, he slowly moved his bandaged up hand up to the gem, wrapping his fingers around it.  
"It's my mother's tear gem." He told me after a moment.  
"Tear gem..?" I asked. I assumed it was a sad story. "You don't have to explain to me if you don't want to.."  
But he did.  
He told me how he was born into an ice village, where fire demons were feared and known to be extremely dangerous. He explained how he was thrown off a cliff, but somehow survive, and raised by a pack of demon bandits. And then he told me about his Jagan eye, which he had implanted to locate his long lost sister, who he never knew he had until about two years ago.  
"That's horrible.." I said sympathetically. "Did you ever find her?"  
"Yes.. I did," Hiei replied, staring up at the sky. "But she can never know of what I am to her.. its far too dangerous."  
I nodded and thought of how horrible that would be, but then... I began to put two and two together. My eyes widened. "Yukina..!" I gasped, looking at him. He turned his head sharply towards me, his eyes as wide as mine, if not wider. "It's Yukina, isn't it...?"  
He just stared at me, flabbergasted.  
"How did I not see it before..? You both look so alike..! And she has such a connection with you.. wow, I feel really stupid." I said, almost to myself.  
"You can't breathe a word of this to her," Hiei growled strictly, "You will NOT say a word... understand?"  
"Of course, Hiei," I reassured him, trying to calm myself down. "It's not my place... I just can't believe I just figured it out now! Wow..!"  
Hiei sighed, flopping onto the ground, flat on his back. He stared at the night sky, and seemed... out of body. I decided to change the subject.  
Somehow, Hiei and I talked all night, until the sun turned shades of orange and pink. I never once felt a blink of sleep plead for my eyes, and I still didn't have any answers to my questions about Hiei...  
Strangely, a part of me hoped Yukina was right, but I steered away from those thoughts as much as possible.

_**To be continued...**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**-Hiei's POV-**_

It was a usual day in the house. Yusuke and Keiko were downstairs watching TV, a waste of time. Kuwabara was taking a nap, a waste of time. Kurama was in the garden, an extremely feminine waste of time, Yukina was in her room socializing with her caged birds she kept as pets, a waste of time, and I frankly didn't care where Botan was or what she was doing, but I could guarantee you she was wasting her time, as well.  
I sat in my room, polishing my katana, which still had Toya's dried blood stained against the blade. There was a certain satisfaction that I felt as I saw the reddish brown smears, but they needed to go. I sat close to the window, leaving it open a crack. Tsukiyo was down by the lake again, playing tunes on her guitar and singing to herself. Every now and then, she'd stop playing and jot something down in a notebook sitting next to her, and then pick up right where she left off in her music.  
My only purpose in keeping the window open was to hear her voice, which still inticed me and calmed me. I'd given up fighting my magnetism to her, even if I had to hide it in the privacy of my room, listening to her sing through a crack in my window. This feeling was completely new, and I couldn't get enough of it... I just strived to know what it was that was making me feel this way, much like a spell. I stopped polishing my katana, and rested the back of my head against the wall behind me. I closed my eyes. Tsukiyo's face stained the backs of my eyelids, and her voice flooded the inside of my head.  
"That's it.." I hissed to myself. I needed answers, and I needed them now. There was only one person I could go to for this sort of thing; the fox. I set my katana down, and casually made my way out of my room, past Yusuke and Keiko who were sucking each other's faces off on the couch, and out the front door. The garden was on the side of the house, and Kurama was sitting on his knees, digging holes to plant some sort of flowers in. It was embarassing how much time he put into such a thing that was meant for a woman, but I couldn't worry about that now. Kurama looked up, smiling as he noticed me. "Hello, Hiei." He greeted me, standing up and brushing himself off.  
"I need to speak with you." I told him, ignoring his greeting. "Oh?" He said, seeming confused. I almost never confided in him for advice, "What about?"  
I wondered if I should make up a fake analogy to my current problem, but I realized that would just complicate things further.  
"It's about..." I paused, having second thoughts. I just had to say it, "Tsukiyo."  
"Tsukiyo?"  
"Yes, fox."  
"What about her?"  
I sighed angrilly, not wanting to go into detail, but I suppose I had to or Kurama wouldn't understand, and I wouldn't be able to get my answers. I explained to Kurama how I could never get Tsukiyo out of my mind, and listening to her singing voice calmed me like nothing else ever had. I told him how it was easy for me to talk to her, and I didn't feel as much annoyance towards her as I did to most everyone else that I had to assossiate myself with.  
"I don't know what's going on inside my head," I confessed to Kurama, "And since you're more of the sensitive type, I figured you'd be able to give me an answer far easier than I could find one for myself," Kurama just stood there and smiled smugly.  
"What?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes at him, "Why are you smiling like that?"  
"Well, I could tell you exactly why you're feeling the way you do, but I don't think you'll like it." He told me with a shrug, and I turned my narrowed eyes to a straight glare.  
"Just tell me, fox."  
"Alright.." Kurama pulled his gardening gloves off each hand, "It sounds to me that you have a bit of a crush on our sweet little Tsukiyo."  
I felt my face flush, and there was nothing I could do to hide it. I quickly turned my head away, giving Kurama less time to notice my change in color.  
"A crush? That's childish," I muttered apathetically, "It's completely rediculous."  
Kurama just shrugged again.  
"I'm just telling you my opinion, judging from personal experience. I've been in your shoes before," He picked up his gardening tools, "But you may believe what you want; just give it some thought, Hiei."  
As if I hadn't been giving this issue enough thought already.  
Before Kurama turned to the front of the house, he stopped and looked at me over his shoulder, still smiling.  
"Try asking her to dance at the Ball in a few days..." He suggested to me, "See what happens."  
With that, he disappeared to the front of the house, leaving me standing in the garden. I grunted to myself.  
*A crush.* I thought to myself, *That's impossible... I don't have time for petty ningen emotions...*  
But I felt as if I was lying to myself... Maybe talking to Kurama about this was a mistake, it hadn't given me answers, it had just twisted my confusion into something far greater.  
I didn't know if I could take his advice about the ball, I couldn't let my guard down. I didn't want anyone thinking I was a vulnerable weakling.  
But still... Maybe it would help if I tried.

_**-Two days later-**_  
_**-Tsukiyo's POV-**_

It was the night of the ball, and the girls and I couldn't have been more excited. We stood in the bathroom and did our hair and make up, looking very out of place wearing our sweats.  
"You have the prettiest hair, Tsukiyo," Keiko complimented me as she twisted long, loose curls into my hair, which was half up and half down.  
"Thanks, Keiko. I condition twice a day." I said jokingly, and everyone giggled.  
"That's always helpful." Yukina laughed, applying the last of her make up. Her hair was tied up in a bun, with two loose strands in cute little curls handing down on the sides. Her make up was light, no more than a little mascara and foundation.  
"I wish I had any of your hair," Keiko sighed as she scrunched hers, causing it to wave slightly. "Mine's so short I can barely do anything with it at all."  
"Oh Keiko, your hair is lovely." Botan assured her. She wore her hair down and straight, with her bangs pulled back in a poof. She based her make up around a pair of hot pink lips, applying her eye make up lightly. Keiko decided on blue eye make up and clear lipgloss.  
For my make up, I decided on a smokey eye with greys and blacks, applying slightly heavy top eyeliner, and thin bottom eyeliner. My eyelashes were long and thick, and I applied a nude shade to my lips, finished with a clear gloss.  
"Dress time!" Botan sang, and we all cheered and clapped. Our dresses were each hanging on the wall, and Botan passed them to us one by one. We carefully slid into them, making sure not to mess our hair or smudge our make up. We took a quick picture in the mirror together, and giggled and cooed at how pretty we looked. We decided we couldn't resist but to take a few more. Downstairs, the boys were waiting, and they called for us repeatedly.  
"I guess we can only ignore them for song long." Yukina giggled to herself as she opened the bathroom door, and we all agreed, stepping out of the bathroom, our heels clickin against the hardwood floors.  
"Oh, I forgot my purse.." I said in annoyance as I finally figured out what was missing, "I'll be down in just a second."  
I hurried back to my room, grabbing my sparkly silver clutch, matching my heels. Now I was ready to go. I rushed back over to the stairs, careful not to trip, and started to make my way down, slowly but gracefully. I earned a couple of stares from the boys, but nothing too rude, seeing as they each had their dates with them. I winked at Botan, who was currently blushing from Kurama's sweet comments about her dress and hair. She giggled like a giddy school girl. I hoped everything happened for the best for her that night.  
All the guys were dressed in tuxes with matching accents to their dates, except Hiei. He wore a simple black dress shirt with a white tie, matching his usual white headband across his forehead. His shirt was tucked into his black slacks, and he wore shiny black dress shoes. He seemed very annoyed to be dressed without his usual attire. Just as he looked up at me, I smiled, and he smirked ever so slightly back, but then turned his attention away.

_**-Hiei's POV-**_

The girls finally made their way down the stairs, all dressed up in sparkles and lace. I didn't see the point, honestly. I absolutely abhored wearing this rediculous attire, slacks and a tie... honestly. It was only seconds before I noticed one girl was missing, the girl who always caught my attention. But she wasn't missing for long. Slowly, she descended down the stairs. Her dress was silky and a purple color, with a deep slit up the leg. Her silver heels toned her legs magnificiantly... Not that I was paying that much attention. By the amount of skin exposed, I was surprised that her bruises had healed so quickly.  
Looking at her curled hair and porcelain face, there was no denying she was beautiful. This was proven as she smiled at me, and I had no choice but to return the favor. I smirked at her ever so slightly, but forced myself to turn my gaze away.  
These confessions I was making to myself were becoming a bit easier, but I still couldn't help feeling confused and aggitated about tonight. I still wasn't sure if I was going to take Kurama's advice... asking Tsukiyo to dance with me. I didn't even know how to dance, I'd never taken part in such a ritual. This just may not work out.  
We'll just have to see where the night takes us.

_**-Tsukiyo's POV-**_

Just before we were about to leave, there was a knock on the door.  
"I'll get it," I announced as I hurried over to the door, my dress swaying at my ankles. I opened the door, and was pleasently surprised with who I was met with.  
"Jin!" I cried excitedly as he hugged me.  
"Hey there, half pint," He greeted me warmly, swaying me back and forth in his arms, "You look radiant. Did ya miss me?"  
"Thank you." I said to him with a smile, "Of course I missed you, how could I not?"  
"Oh, you." He said, nudging me playfully in the shoulder.  
"Let's blow this popsicle stand," Kuwabara hollered out, I'm ready to let loose!"  
Everyone agreed that we were ready to go, and so we headed off to the Spirit World for a night of fun.

When we arrived at the Palace, we navigated our way to the main corridor where the ball was being held. It was decorated so beautifully, having a sort of elegant french feel.  
"Serious props to the decorator.." I muttered, taking in every little sight.  
"Urameshi?" A red ogre with blonde hair, wearing glasses and a tuxedo asked our group as he approached us. He held a clipboard and looked very professional, for an ogre.  
"Yep." Yusuke replied, "That's us."  
"Right this way, please." The ogre said politely as he guided us through the crowd of sophisticated people to a large table at the front of the room. It was very clearly VIP seating. We each sat down in a place, everyone next to their dates, and me between Hiei and Jin. I took a sideways glance at Hiei, who seemed to be somewhere else. He looked deep in thought.  
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the annual Spirit World Ball." I heard Koenma speak, and looked around for him. He was standing at a podium at the far side of the room, and he was wearing very lavish looking robes, and his Spirit World Prince crown. All the guests clapped politely, including our table. Kuwabra and Yusuke hooted and hollered, earning looks from everyone around us. Kurama gave them apologetic looks and shrugs.  
"We've got some very important announcements to make tonight," Koenma kept on, "The very first thing is to honor the ball to my mother, Queen Atsumara, who passed quite some time ago, and I miss her very dearly..." He paused, and everyone cooed in sympathy, "But her sacrifice has brought me something back into my life that I never thought I'd have again; family. Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Princess Tsukiyo... my lost sister of 168 years."  
Suddenly, the spotlight was on me, along with everyone's eyes and smiles. My yeyes glided back and forth, making contact with at least 20 people's gazes. Feeling on the spot, I flashed a sheepish grin and an awkward wave. I could my face burning and desperately wanted to be out of the spotlight.  
"Please come up to the podium, Tsukiyo," Koenma said in the microphone. So much for that whole spotlight plan...  
"Um...okay," I muttered to myself as I slowly pushed away from the table. I earned some encouraging smiles from my friends around me, as well as the rest of the guests in the bathroom, followed by a light applause. As I made my way up to the podium, I heard the scattered whispers of the guests.  
"She's so beautiful... Just like her mother..."  
"The Queen would be so proud."  
"Such grace..."  
Finally, I reached my brother at the podium, where he placed a small, shimmery tiara ontop of my head, welcoming more applause. He then handed the microphone to me, and I held it to my lips, pausing a moment to stare into the waiting crowd.  
"Uhm.." I began, a bit started by how loud my voice echoed through the ballroom, but nobody else seemed phased by it. "Thank you all so much for being here tonight... I've prepared something to share with you," I tried to make my words short and simple, in order to get to what I was most excited about sharing with everyone. I pulled my guitar from under the podium where I'd stored it a few days earlier without anyone's knowledge; not even Koenma, who was looking at me with a puzzled expression. I slipped on the shoulder strap, and spoke into the microphone once more.  
"This is a song I wrote," I said as I started to feel more comfortable with speaking, "Its about my new life, and how happy I am to have found it..."  
With that being said, I began to strum a soft, slow melody. A played for a few seconds before starting in with the verses in a rich voice. As I sang, I could see everyone's face becoming softer, in awe. I gazed upon my friends at their table, all of their jaws dropped except for Hiei. He was the only I'd shared my talent with, no one else had known. There were a few hoots and hollers from my table as I hit a high note, and I smiled through my lyrics. A real smile, a happy smile. And as I made eye contact with Hiei, I could see that he was smiling too.. A small smile, but it was still all there.

_**-Hiei's POV-**_

I already wanted to leave this dreadful place as soon as we walked in. The girls admired the pitiful directions, which was based on the country of France in the Ningenkai. It was so petty to me, I didn't belong here one bit. The only reason I was here was to try and pursue was Kurama had told me... and hopefully get some questions swimming around inside my head answered. After we all were sitting down at a round table, Koenma began to speak. He announced that Tsukiyo was his sister, and a spotlight was shone on her. She grinned after a moment, and waved to all the eyes staring her down. I found myself thinking that she looked kind of cute when she was embarassed, but quickly shook that thought out of my head. I was becoming completely soft... It was not a good thing. I always swore to myself I wouldn't let that happen.  
Tsukiyo was already up to the podium by the time I entered reality again, and Koenma was placing a tiara on her head. She turned to the crowd, placing the microphone up near her mouth.  
"Uhm.." She spoke up, and paused a moment; her voice sounded shy, "Thank you all so much for being here tonight... I've prepared something to share with you," She pulled her guitar out from under the podium, and everyone in the ballroom glanced back and forth to each other. Once she had the guitar positioned the way she needed it, she spoke into the microphone again.  
"This is a song I wrote, it's about my new life, and how happy I am to have found it..."  
Everyone was hushed as she began to stroke the strings on the guitar, producing that beautiful melody. Her voice soon followed, lulling everyone into a trance. I folded my arms and took a quick glance around the table; everyone had a shocked expression on their faces, and I remembered they'd never heard Tsukiyo play or sing before, only I had. I smiled to myself, unable to control it.  
*Stop it, Hiei* I hissed inside my head, trying to chase the smile away, but it only grew smaller, never fading.  
At that moment, Tsukiyo's eye caught mine, and she smiled instantly, catching the sight of mine. It felt like a spark had just errupted through my body. Soon, her song was done, and I was released from her angelic grip. She thanked the crowd and bowed to everyone, announcing that dinner was to be served shortly. I really wasn't hungry. All I could concentrate on was this strange, overwhelming feeling I had when this girl was around... Like I couldn't drink enough of her in, couldn't keep my mind and eyes off her. I wasn't sure I liked it, and I wasn't sure I hated it either...

_**-Tsukiyo's POV-**_

My song ended, and the crowd errupted in applause. I smiled and bowed to them, thanking them for listening. I placed my guitar down, and scooped up the microphone, ready to address the crowd again.  
"Dinner will be served in just a few minutes, enjoy your evening everyone." I said cheerfully. I set the microphone down, and was greeted my Koenma, who gave me a hearty hug.  
"That was fantastic!" He gushed, holding me at arm's length now. "I had no idea you could play the guitar... or sing like that!"  
"Yea, well.." I replied bashfully as I rubbed the back of my neck. "It's just a hobby."  
"Well, it was great." He said, and he followed me back to our table where he said he was going to sit with us.  
"Oh, Tsukiyo, that was absolutely beautiful!" Botan squealed as I sat down in my seat between Jin and Hiei.  
"Yes, that was great," Kurama agreed with a nod and his usual sweet smile. Everyone clammered at me about my song and my guitar playing, and I just blushed and smiled.  
"Thanks, guys..." I said softly.  
"She's got the voice of angel, this little lady." Jin said, wrapping his arm around me and squeezing me. I laughed.  
"You guys are too much," I joked, waving away all their compliments.  
A few minutes later, our steak dinners arrived, and they were amazing.  
"This is SOOO GOOOOD," Yusuke wailed with his mouth full, earning a scold from Keiko. Kuwabara followed suit, and Keiko scolded him as well. Yukina just giggled, I admired how easy going and carefree she was.  
"Ahh," Yusuke and Kuwabara sighed together in content as they leaned back in their chairs, finished with their food. "That was amazing."  
"That was very good." Yukina agreed as she pushed her plate away from her. "I couldn't possibly eat another bite."  
"It was delicious." Kurama piped up, but he had only eaten half of his food. "I'm stuffed."  
"Props to the chef." Yusuke announced after a huge belch. Keiko sighed and rested her head in her hands, having given up.  
"Well I'll be sure to inform the cooks that you loved their meals." Koenma replied with a chuckle.  
Music began playing about fifteen minutes later, and it was time to get up and dance, now that we were all digested and whatnot. All of us got up and headed to the dancefloor, which resembled something like a high school prom, only slightly more elegant. "Come on, Hiei!" Yusuke called out to the fire demon, who was the only one still seated at our table. "Let loose!"  
"Yea," Kuwabara agreed, "Get jiggy with it!"  
Hiei stared at them sharply, furrowing his brow.  
"I refuse to make myself look like a fool." He barked at them, turning his eyes away. They shrugged, grabbed their dates, and pulled them out to the floor. Kurama grabbed Botan, and I was left standing. I glanced over at Hiei, who was paying no attention to me. I was about to change that when I was tapped on the shoulder. I turned around and met Jin's big blue eyes.  
"Let's dance!" He shouted to me over the music. I couldn't help but smile as he began to do a goofy dance around me, sort of like an Irish jig. I giggled and let him take my hand, pulling me out in the dance floor, making me do twirls all over the place. My dress flowed away from my body, and I kept laughing. I was having a great time. After a few upbeat songs, a slow song came up, and Jin and I stopped dancing. He smiled at me, and bowed slightly, holding out his hand.  
"My lady," He said dramatically, "May I have this dance?"  
I smiled and took his hand.  
"Of course you can, good sir." I giggled, and he pulled me in, placing his hands on my hips, and my hands landed automatically on his shoulders. As we turned toward the table slowly, I saw Hiei glaring in our direction. But when my eyes met his, he got up from the table for the first time that evening, walking around the crowd, and out to the balcony, which was open and letting the cool night air into the room. I stared at his back for a moment, wondering what that was about... I danced the rest of the song with Jin, talking about life over the music, and then when the song ended I told him I would be back in a little while.  
I made my way out to the balcony, where Hiei stood with his back to me.

_**-Hiei's POV-**_

I watched as my house mates let go of their inhibitions on the dance floor. It was embarassing, I was glad I had turned it down. This music was disgusting, and much too loud. The fast, techo like beats were definitely not for me, and I just wanted to shove something sharp down my ear canals to end this torture. After four or five horrendous songs, the tempo slowed down, and each person paired up with another, getting close... the slow dancing was beginning, but of course the wind master had asked Tsukiyo to dance... and she'd said yes. They seemed to be getting very close, maybe... too close. They smiled and laughed with each other.  
"Maybe I've just found my answer..." I grumbled to myself, feeling somewhat defeated. I glared at them dancing together, feeling heat build up inside me. Almost a sense of longing.  
Was I jelous? No, that was ridiculous. Pathetic, even. But I was still glaring, and I couldn't find the will to stop. Suddenly Tsukiyo's eyes met mine, and I tore my gaze away from her somehow. I shoved myself away from the table and ventured out onto the balcony, where there was less noise and the air was crisp. I leaned on my elbows against the railing and looked out upon the land, illuminated by the moon and stars. I sighed to myself.  
"I'm just wasting my time.." I grumbled.  
After a minute or two, I heard a voice behind me; Tsukiyo's.  
"Hiei..?"  
I didn't turn to look at her, and I didn't say anything for a moment, but finally I replied.  
"What?" My voice came out shallow and soft, not what I had wanted. My emotions were getting the best of me. God damn this girl for making me feel this way.  
"What are you doing out here?" Tsukiyo asked me as she glided over to my side, her heels clicking seductively against the smooth marble floor of the balcony. She stood and looked over at the land, just like I was.  
"The music in there is atrocious." I replied bluntly, "...I just needed some air."  
"Oh.." Tsukiyo said with an understanding nod.  
I paused, waiting to see if she'd say anything else. Nothing. "What are you doing out here, onna?" I asked, forgetting not to call her 'onna'. Oh well.  
"Sort of the same thing.." She said, picking at a loose thread on her dress, "And I was just wondering what you were doing and if you're okay."  
"Why wouldn't I be okay?"  
"Well, you haven't gotten up or said much of anything tonight, I just wondered if something was wrong."  
"Nothing's wrong, onna."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes."  
"Positive?"  
"I'm fine, Tsukiyo."  
This time my voice was very, very sharp, making sure she got the point, and she did; refraining to talk... which wasn't exactly what I wanted. I rested my head in my hands. If there was any time to reach my goal tonight, this was it. Just ask her... Just ask her. "Uh... Tsukiyo..." I heard myself say, my voice sounding unstable, and I instantly regretted speaking at all. I hoped I'd spoken soft enough that she didn't hear me, but that was short lived.  
"Yes, Hiei?" She replied rather quickly. "What is it?"  
I paused a moment, taking a deep breath and letting it out as a sigh. She stared at me expectingly.  
"Do you..." I began once more, finding my voice caught in my throat. "Do you want to..."  
"C'mon Hiei," Tsukiyo said with a joking giggle, "Spit it out."  
I looked at her, straight in the eyes. All or nothing.  
"Do you want to dance with me..." My face burned red, and I could tell hers was to. I remained in eye contact with her and she just stared. Slowly, she smiled, but she still didn't answer. I began to feel uneasy, and snapped at her.  
"Do you want to dance with me or not, onna."  
"I thought you'd never ask.." She whispered. This took me by surprise somewhat.. I wasn't expecting this to go in a positive way. Slowly, I stood upright, and looked to the side as I held my hand out, feeling Tsukiyo place her palm against mine, lacing my fingers with hers. I felt a strange thing inside my stomach, sort of like a tightening feeling. This was just getting stranger and stranger. Each of us walked into the ball, neither of leading, really, and then stood there for a moment.  
"I've never danced before.." I mumbled quickly. Tsukiyo looked at me.  
"What?" She asked, "I didn't hear you, Hiei."  
"I've never danced before..!" I said a bit louder. I couldn't make eye contact with her.  
"Ohhh," She giggled.  
"What's so funny?" I snapped defensively. "Stop laughing!"  
"Calm down, Hiei," She said to me in a reassuring way, "I'm not laughing at you."  
She then proceeded to face me, standing about an inch or two shorter. She placed my hands on her hips, and her hands on my shoulders. Her figure was... amazing. Soft, with the perfect curves in the perfect places.  
"Like this," She explained softly, and we swayed back and forth.  
"This is it..?" I said flatly, in somewhat of disbelief. "This is so... simple."  
"Yea, pretty much." Tsukiyo shrugged. As we dance, each of seemed to become more shy. We looked at the floor between us, each blushing. As the song we were dancing to grew more tender, Tsukiyo snuck a peak at me, but I pretended not to notice. I felt her body hesitate to move, but she finally slid her hands off my shoulders, hooking her arms around my neck. My eyes widened. "What are you doing?" I asked, and her head snapped up to me. Our faces were so close...  
"N-nothing.." She stammered and began to pull her arms away, but I grabbed them, keeping them in place. I followed her suit, pulling her waist closer to me, and now our bodies were touching. Tsukiyo stared up at me, her face deep red, and her eyes wide. I felt my lips curve. What in the world had come over me? I was becoming soft... but I couldn't stop it. It was there, and it wasn't leaving, no matter how hard I tried.  
Tsukiyo smiled back at me, and it was at that moment that I knew... I had my answer.  
This feeling called love... I told myself I'd never let myself feel it. But I knew now that it was impossible... This is what I felt for Tsukiyo.  
Love. It was so disgustingly clear now, and I didn't quite know how I felt about it...  
But, just as Yukina could never know I was her brother, Tsukiyo could never know my feelings for her...  
It would complicate things far too much.  
I just hoped I could keep this promise to myself.

_**To be continued...**_


	13. Chapter 13

****Thank you DevilAngelWolf27 & Angel_Of_Randomosity for your great reviews & ideas to improve my story(: And also, thank you to all of my readers who have favorited my story, it really means alot(:**  
**much love!  
Also, I realize that sometimes, the dialogue is spaced too closely together, not beginning on a new line. When i upload my stories, for some reason it will change my line breaks and other things, but I'm just too lazy to read all the way back through the file to change it... Thank to you whoever let me know that in a recent review though, lol.****

_**-Tsukiyo's POV-**_

"Do you want to dance with me..." Hiei asked me as we each stood out on the balcony. My eyes were locked with his, and the blood rushed to my cheeks. A few seconds passed by, and all I could do was smile. Had he really asked me to dance with him? This couldn't be real.  
"Do you want to dance with me or not, onna." Hiei's demanding question snapped me out of my thoughts. I felt my stomach flutter.  
"I thought you'd never ask.." I whispered, and he seemed to be surprised by my answer. I watched as he slowly lifted his elbows off the railing of the balcony, and he looked to the side as he extended his hand out to me.  
*He's shy...* I thought to myself, *That's cute.*  
My stomach fluttered as I placed my hand in his warm, awaiting palm, and my fingers intertwined with his. We walked in step into the ballroom, completely together. We paused for a moment, before Hiei muttered something I didn't quite catch. I looked over at him.  
"What? I didn't hear you, Hiei."  
He seemed to grit his teeth before answering me, louder this time.  
"I've never dance before..!" He couldn't look me in the eye as he said this.  
"Ohh," I said in realization. No wonder he was so bashful. I giggled a little bit, and his gaze snapped back to me.  
"What's so funny?" He growled in a defensive way, "Stop laughing!"  
"Calm down, Hiei," I said to him as I calmed my giggles. "I'm not laughing at you." He seemed to believe me, so I led him out onto the dance floor and faced him. I placed his hands on my hips, and then rested mine on his shoulders. "Like this.." I explained as we began to sway with the music. "This is it..?" Hiei said flatly after a few moments, "This is so... simple."  
"Yea, pretty much." I agreed with a shrug. As we danced for a little bit, I could feel the shyness build between us, and the dancing was a bit stiff. Each of us stared at the floor like it was the most ineresting thing in the world. Then the song grew sweeter and slower, and I took a small peak at Hiei. He seemed not to notice, and I felt my body tense up, wanting to move closer. Finally, I just pushed myself toward that goal, slowly sliding my hands from his shoulders and wrapping my arms around his neck.  
"What are you doing?" Hiei asked me suddenly, taking me by surprise. I looked up at him quickly, feeling embarassed. Maybe too much, too soon.  
"N-Nothing.." I stuttered as I began to pull my arms away, but Hiei surprised me by reached up and holding them in place gently. He then let go, bringing his hands back to my hips, gently pulling me body closer to him and loosely wrapped his arms around my waist. He smelled just the same... like charred firewood. Hiei's lips twisted into a soft smile, and I could feel my heart jump around in my chest, pounding against every rib I had. I wouldn't have been surprised if it jumped its way out through my mouth, and landed on the dance floor like a fish out of water. My stomach felt like it was twisting into knots, and I knew exactly what this meant.  
I did have a crush on Hiei... a big crush.  
Maybe it was more than a crush... But, just as Yukina had said to me at the mall yesterday, only time will tell.  
It seemed as if I was living my life by the roots of that very phrase.

_**-Kurama's POV-**_

After a good half hour of hearty dancing, Botan and I grew tired. We had decided to join our friends back at the table for a drink, but there were two people missing. "Where are Tsukiyo and Hiei?" I asked out of curiousity as I pulled Botan's chair out for her. She thanked me and I smiled warmly back at her.  
"Take a look," Yusuke pointed into the crowd with a sly grin, and I followed his finger out to the dancefloor, where Hiei and Tsukiyo were ever so close, dancing to a slow steady beat. The lights were low but we could see them perfectly. I watched with a small grin as Hiei gently pulled Tsukiyo closer to his body, his arms around her waist.  
"IS HE SMILING?" Kuwabara shouted, putting his hand over his eyes as if he were trying to see a great distance away. "Oh my god.."  
"It seems that he is.." I replied. "I think Hiei has a bit of a crush."  
"Way to go, lad!" Jin hollered, but neither Hiei nor Tsukiyo heard him over the music, they were just out of earshot. "It's so sweet," Keiko cooed from her seat next to Yusuke.  
"Aren't they adorable together?" Botan squealed. "They are! They're so adorable!"  
Yukina just smiled at them as they danced.  
Koenma was seated at our table as well, and he sat with a furrowed brow and crossed arms.  
"I'm not sure how I feel about this..." He grumbled. He was very protective of Tsukiyo, especially after the incident with Toya.  
"Oh, relax, binky breath," Yusuke said to him, "Nothing bad's gonna happen. They're just dancing, chill out."  
Koenma let out a huff of frustration.  
"I suppose.." He said, but I could tell he was still unsure of the whole situation. I had to admit, when I'd talked to Hiei in the garden, I had my doubts whether or not he would actually take action on his feelings, and ask Tsukiyo to dance. He had just proven something very great to me, that he actually did feel. He wasn't just a man of stone. But I knew he would try to maintain that image to all of us, and we each knew we had to let him think we didn't know anything. It was simpler to let Hiei come to us, rather than try to coax it out of him. I was just glad he was actually melting down a bit, feeling happy for once.

_**-Tsukiyo's POV-**_

Before I knew it, three songs passed that Hiei and I had danced to. When the music stopped, Hiei released me from his grip, and I released him from mine.  
"That was really nice," I said to him honestly, "Thank you."  
"Hn," Hiei grunted, and I saw him blush. He didn't turn away from me this time. "There's no need for thanks. If I hadn't wanted to, I wouldn't have asked you." This made me smile, knowing that he'd asked me out of his own desire, not as a dare to get back at me, and not for pity. I made me feel really good inside.  
We walked back to the table, and everyone was chatting and having some drinks.  
"Hey, guys." I greeted everyone.  
"Hey, princess," Jin greeted me back, "Havin' a good time tonight?"  
I nodded and took a sip of my own drink, a shirley temple; my absolute favorite. I picked one of the cherries out of my drink, and popped it into my mouth. I smiled softly at the sweetness.

"Thank you all for attending tonight, enjoy the rest of your evening." Koenma said into the microphone at the end of the ball, and everyone exited the building. Our group waited for Koenma, who was going to spend the night with us at the house. We were the last ones out, as Koenma and I had to say goodbye to everyone that walked through the door. I honestly just wanted to get home, I was so exhausted... But I seriously dreaded the portal home.

When we got home, everyone was relaxed. We took turns taking showers, and I was second in the girl's bathroom. I made it quick so Keiko could go in after me and still have plenty of hot water. I put on a pair of grey leggings and a baggy red sweatshirt, putting my damp hair up in a messy bun. I went into my room, grabbed my guitar, and head out to the backporch. This was my routine lately. I sat on the swing, swaying back and forth, taking in the sounds of the night. It was almost midnight, but my shower had gave me a burst of energy. I began to strum my guitar, singing "Someone Wake Me Up" by the Veronicas. I liked their songs, they were the easiest for me to sing. After I was done with that song, I moved onto "Stay" by Sugarland.  
Half way though that song, the door to the porch opened, and outwalked Koenma. "Oh, hey," I greeted him, halting my music. I scooted over on the swing to make room for him.  
"Hey, there," Koenma greeted me back, taking a seat on the swing next to me. We got into a rhythm, swaying the swing gently.  
"So what's up?" I asked as I began to pluck the melody of "Like We Used To" by a Rocket to the Moon. I hummed along with it gently.  
"Nothing," Koenma replied, staring at my hands. "You've really got a great talent, Tsukiyo."  
"Thanks."  
"When did you start playing?"  
"A while ago... I think I was nine or ten."  
"Ahh.. Well it all sounds very pretty."  
There was a pause, but I could tell that Koenma really hadn't come out here to talk to me about my musical inclinement. "What's really on your mind, ani..?" I asked him, but didn't look at him. I could see him look my way out of the corner of my eye.  
"Well," He sighed, seeming to think a moment, "I wanted to talk to you about Hiei..."  
I blushed.  
"Hiei..?" I asked softly, "What about him?"  
"I noticed you two were getting..." Koenma paused, crossing his right leg over his left, "... Quite close tonight on the dance floor."  
"O-oh.." I stammered nervously. I hadn't known that he noticed. "Well, yea.. he asked me to dance, so I said yes."  
"Ah.. I see." Koenma muttered.  
"Is there something wrong with that..?" I was very confused at this point.  
"No, no. Nothing like that.." Koenma assured me, but I could tell something was still bothering him. "Are you two going steady?"  
"What?" I gasped, "No, no way..." I felt my heart sink at that statement. A part of me wished I could have said yes.  
"Oh," Koenma replied. "Well, I can see that you like him."  
I smiled a bit.  
"Well... yea..." I finally admitted it out loud, it was out in the open. "But don't go telling everyone."  
"Tsukiyo, really," My brother gave me a look, "Do you really think I'm one to gossip?"  
I narrowed my eyes at him, and he began to look sheepish.  
"Okay, okay, so I enjoy some juicy details as much as the next person.." He chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck, but then cleared his throat and got serious again. "But, in all honesty, I would never spread a secret of yours around. I promise I won't tell."  
"Pinky." I said, holding up my pinky. Koenma looked at me, puzzled.  
"Pinky..?" He repeated. "I don't understand.."  
"Pinky promise?" I said, raising my eyebrows. "Just hook your pinky on mine."  
"O...kay.." Koenma said as he followed my instructions. I waited a few moments before unhooking my pinky, and then pointing at my brother.  
"This is serious shit now, Koenma," I warned him. "You pinky promised. No turning back now." I shook my head but smiled.  
We both laughed together.

About an hour passed before I found myself with my head leaning against Koenma's shoulder, swinging back and forth slowly in the swing. My eyes grew heavier and heavier.  
The last thing I remembered before falling asleep was my conversation with Koenma.  
"Who even says 'going steady' anymore.." I mumbled in a groggy tone.  
"Huh..?" I heard Koenma's voice reply back. But, before I could open my mouth to respond, I fell into blackness... Lost in dreams of those crimson red eyes.

_**To be continued...**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**Week 3; Day 3: Earth**_

I'd been back in the training groove for three days now, working with Kurama. I was really getting the hang of the Earth element. Kurama taught me how to use my abilities to raise the earth in my defense, a shield of rock and sand. He also taught me how to control the plant life, using them as whips just like his rose whip, or ways to tangle my opponent. I'd snared him with ease a few times.  
"You're getting very good at this, Tsukiyo," Kurama commented on my performance as I levitated boulders in the air, my eyes glowing green. I moved my hands back and forth, indicating where I wanted them to go. But suddenly, I lost my focus, and shrieked as they all slammed to the ground, forming a cloud of dust around Kurama and I. We both coughed and waved our arms around to clear the dust.  
"Not to say that you don't still need some polishing.." Kurama added in with a chuckle, and I sheepishly rubbed the back of my neck.  
"Yea, I could still use some work." I agreed, glancing back over at the boulders that I'd let plumet to the ground. "... A lot of work."  
"Oh, don't be so hard on yourself." Kurama said with a knowing smile, taking a glance at his watch. "How do you feel about taking a break?"  
"God, that'd be great." I wailed, stretching my arms out. "I'm pretty tired."  
Kurama chuckled, and we sat beneath the tree by the lake. I practiced my water bending, since my training with Toya had been cut short.  
"For such a short training period, you seem to have gotten the hang of water handling fairly well." Kurama observed as he watched me twist the water into shapes. I released my control over the long snake of water, and it splashed down into the lake once more. I layed back in the grass and sighed.  
"Yea, I guess." I muttered, "I kind of had to since that asshole was just... well, an asshole. That's all I can say." Kurama nodded.  
"Sometimes you must fend for yourself."  
Now it was my turn to nod.  
"Mmhm.." I sighed, closing my eyes.  
A wind passed through, instantly making me think of Jin.  
"But at least you and Jin were easy on me. Hopefully Hiei will be the same."  
"I wouldn't count on that, Tsukiyo." Kurama informed me, the wind brushing his long hair away from his neck. I turned my head to look at him and blinked.  
"Why not..?"  
"Hiei is tough when it comes to training and fighting.." The red haired fox demon began to explain to me, "He'll work you to the core, and then work you to the core of your core..."  
I blinked again and turned my gaze back up toward the sky.  
"He may have a soft spot for you," This comment made me blush, "But I don't think he'll take it easy on you just for that reason."  
"Oh.." I said, not thinking too much about what else he was saying besides the fact that he thought Hiei had a soft spot for me. I wanted to know more about that, if he knew something else, but I felt weird asking. I didn't want to seem to eager or desperate to know. I might as well just find out for myself. We sat in silence for a few more minutes, before Kurama suggested we get up and practice technique a bit more before going inside. I agreed that it was a good idea, and we both leapt up from our relaxed positions, our energy regained.

_**Week 3; Day 6: Earth**_

Through my training with Kurama, I'd only earned a few scratches and maybe one bruise. But Kurama agreed to complete our training early, since all of our drills were simply review for me.  
"Wow, Tsukiyo, I can't believe how fast you're learning." Keiko complimented me at dinner.  
"I know, I can't really believe it either." I laughed as I took a sip of my drink.  
"She's doing quite well," Kurama commented, dabbing his lips with a napkin.  
"That will change soon." Hiei's voice filled the air as he decsended the staircase. Everyone turned to look at him.  
"Why's that?" Botan asked as she set her fork down.  
"Yea, random much?" Yusuke said with a raised eyebrow, "We should really tie a bell around your neck or something so we know when you're coming, Hiei."  
I giggled.  
"All of these training sessions Tsukiyo is going through are extremely petty and ill-advanced." Hiei spoke as if I wasn't even sitting there.  
I saw Kurama roll his eyes a bit.  
"My training will be much tougher, much more demanding, and I can guarantee you that you will not do "quite well", onna." He walked to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water.  
"You'll be lucky to get out with all your limbs attached."  
I stared at him in bewilderment as he flowed back up the stairs, and down the hall. His bedroom door shut softly.  
"That was strange.." Keiko commented. "Yea.." I agreed a bit glumly. I was really confused; wasn't I just dancing with Hiei a few nights ago? He smiled at me... pulled me closer... Why was he right back to the way he was the first day I met him? It didn't make any sense. "Oh, that Hiei," Botan grumbled, "He was being so sweet to Tsukiyo at the ball, what's his problem now?"  
Again, like I wasn't even there.  
"Well that's Hiei for ya," Yusuke shrugged, standing up to take his plate into the kitchen for seconds. "I thought I'd die before I ever saw him smile."  
"Maybe he's embarassed." Yukina suggested, and everyone nodded and agreed that it could be a possibilty.  
Even after listening to all my friends' reasoning as to why Hiei had changed his ways so suddenly, it didn't make me any less confused. I knew what I had to do, I had to talk to him.

That night, I waited until everyone had gone to bed. I snuck out of my bedroom in my pajamas; a baggy t-shirt and a pair of black leggings; and made my way down to Hiei's room. I knocked on the door, almost silently.  
"Hiei..?" I whispered, "Are you in there..?"  
There was no answer, and no sounds of movement behind the door.  
"Hiei..?" I repeated into the door, a little louder. Still no answer. I lifted my hand to knock one more time, when the door snapped open, startling me.  
"What do you want?" Hiei demanded in a hiss. I blinked. What the hell was up with him?  
"Uh..." I stammered, furrowing my brow just slightly, "I need to talk to you."  
"Hn, no you don't." Hiei grunted in reply, beginning to shut his door, but I slapped my hand against it and propped it open.  
"Yes, I do." I replied seriously. "It can wait until tomorrow, onna. Leave." He tried to force the door shut.  
"No, it can't." I informed him, "Are you gonna let me in, or am I gonna have to force myself in?" I was totally bluffing, I knew I couldn't overpower Hiei. And apparenly he knew that too, because he smirked and chuckled.  
"That won't happen. You're far too weak, onna." He sneered at me. I just gave him a look and he finally sighed, opening his door.  
"This had better be important." He snapped at me as I entered his room, and the door clicked shut behind me. It was dark in his room except for a single desk lamp, shining on his katana, which was resting unsheathed; a rag and a bottle of polish resting next to it, as well as a sharpening stone. It made me a little nervous looking at it, but I pushed that thought out of my mind and cleared my throat as Hiei sat down with his back to me.  
"Okay, here goes.." I said aloud, about to start my talking. There was a feeling in the pit of my stomach that this would not turn out good, but I headed forward anyway.

_**-Hiei's POV-**_

For almost a week, I had kept my distance from Tsukiyo, never crossing paths with her, and only keeping watch on her training sessions with Kurama. She was indeed making progress, but I intended to make my training with her much more demanding and intense, and this was for a reason. Ever since I made that crucial promise to myself that I would never let Tsukiyo know how I felt, I came to a decision; I had to repel her from me. I had to make her hate me, as much as it bothered me in the back of my mind. And if this plan worked, maybe this troublesome ningen emotion would fade away... That would be ideal.

It was late. I sat in the darkness of my room with the light of a single desklamp hovering over me. My katana rested on my desk, and I focused on polishing the blade. It was nice and peaceful, when suddenly it was ruined with a knock on the door.  
"Hiei..?" Came a whisper through the door, and I stopped my polishing. "Are you in there..?"  
"Damn.." I cursed under my breath. It was her. I stayed silent, hoping she'd wait a moment, and leave after she received no response. For a moment, I thought my plan had worked.  
"Hiei..?" Her voice was louder now, and I sighed, setting my katana down and walking over to my door. I opened it, and peered through. Tsukiyo stood before me, her hand lifted in a fist as if she was about to knock once more. She flinched a bit, obviously not expecting the door to open. I was happy she was wearing a t-shirt, so that my eyes didn't wander the natural curves of her body. I focused on her face.  
"What do you want?" I demanded, and I made sure my voice was sharp and intimidating. Tsukiyo just blinked.  
"Uh..." Her voice came out as her brow furrowed just a bit. Good, she seemed annoyed... My plan was working so far. "I need to talk to you."  
"Hn, no you don't." I grunted in reply and tried to shut my door, but the girl propped it open, so I stopped. "Yes, I do." Tsukiyo insisted. Her tone was very serious, but I still went ahead with my plan.  
"It can waited until tomorrow, onna. Leave." I ordered her, even though I knew I would avoid her tomorrow, and the next day, until I could make her training session with me a living hell, and hopefully that would be the end of my plan to repel her from me.  
"No, it can't." Tsukiyo's voice became shorter, "Are you gonna let me in, or am I gonna have to force myself in?"  
This I couldn't help my chuckle at. She couldn't be serious, there was no way she could possibly force herself past me. "That won't happen. You're far too weak, onna." I narrowed my eyes at her, but she just stared at me with a serious expression. I sighed, realizing she wasn't going to leave until I let her in. I opened my door, and she walked inside. "This had better be important." I snarled at her as I brushed past her, taking my seat back infront of my desk. I began polishing my katana once more, waiting for her to speak.  
"Okay, here goes..." Her voice now sounded a bit nervous. "Well, I just wanted to talk to you about the other night... at the ball..."  
I felt my stomach flutter, but I showed no physical signs of it.  
"What about it," I asked flatly. She paused a moment. "Well? Spit it out,"  
"When you asked me to dance..." Tsukiyo began again, and I felt that flutter in my stomach once more, "You were acting so sweet.."  
I didn't reply.  
"But I don't understand why you've been avoiding me, and being so... mean." She said, as if she couldn't find any word but "mean" to describe my actions. I sighed softly.  
"So. Is that all you have to say?" I asked her.  
"No, I was just-"  
"Hurry the hell up then, I don't have all night, onna." I glared at her over my shoulder. She furrowed her brow at me and her mouth twisted into a frown.  
"See? What the hell is that," She finally exploded, flailing her hands around everywhere. "We were finally becoming friends, or maybe more..." Her voice trailed off at the last part of her sentence, as if I wasn't supposed to hear it, but I did. My heart surged. "And I thought things had changed, that maybe I wasn't such a bother to you. I tried really hard, I really did, and I thought it was finally working." She paused to take a breath. "But now you're back to the same old asshole you were before! I don't get it."  
I turned in my chair to look at Tsukiyo. Her cheeks were flushed from anger, and she glared at me. I glared right back.  
"We were never friends." I stated to her, making complete eye contact. Her gaze softened, seeming a bit hurt. "And we were most definitely never about to be MORE than friends, so get that through your pretty little head." My voice was a low hiss. Tsukiyo chewed her bottom lip, looking as if she was trying not to cry. Hn. Women.  
"Hiei.." Tsukiyo began to say, but I cut her off, unwilling to listen to her side of the story.  
"I asked you to dance out of pity for you, that Kurama told me I should to make you feel "welcome". but I realize now that it was a huge mistake."  
I paused to let all of that hit her, and it was working perfectly... although it wasn't making me particularly happy. A single tear rolled down her cheek, and a part of me wanted to leap out of my chair, wrap my arms around her, and tell her I didn't mean anything I was saying. But I couldn't let myself stood that low...  
"Stop your crying." I ordered her, "You're only embarassing yourself."  
She just shook her head, her whole body now trembling. She was overflowing with a mixture of emotions, but I kept mine even and flat.  
"As far as I know, the only contact we need to have is within our training session in a few days, and after that, stay the hell out of my way." I turned back to my katana. Tsukiyo began to speak again.  
"I can't believe someone could be so heartles.." She whispered to me, anger and hurt dripping from her voice. "You smiled at me..?"  
"Pity." I answered.  
"You... held my arms in place when I tried to move them?"  
"Reflex."  
"You pulled me closer..."  
I didn't answer. I just wanted her to leave.  
"You-"  
I turned sharply in my chair.  
"LEAVE, onna." I said loudly, causing her to double back. "Before I force you to leave."  
She stood still for a moment, staring into my eyes, before sharply turning and opening my door. She turned her head over her shoulder and took one last glance at me.  
"I guess I was wrong about you, Hiei."  
For some reason, that comment stung down deep in my soul... somewhere no one had ever managed to reach me before. My stomach turned, but I kept my expressioin flat as stone. I had to make her think I didn't care, despite how much I truly did. Finally, Tsukiyo turned out into the hallway, and made her way back to her room. I listened until her door shut softly in the girl's wing, and stood up from my chair. I sighed, walking over to my door, which Tsukiyo had left agape. I propped my arm against the door, and leaned my forehead against it, my eyes closed calmly.  
I had imagined this to be easier. Half of me wanted to call the whole thing off and give in, but the other half of me proved stronger, forcing me to keep the plan alive. It would prove worth it in the end...  
For now, all I needed to focus on was my blade, the only thing that had never let me down.

_**-Tsukiyo's POV-**_

I couldn't believe what I had just heard. Everything had been a lie, something done out of pitty for me? I didn't need anyone's pitty. I made my way into my room after leaving Hiei's, feeling like utter shit. I thought I'd gotten through to him, thought he was a better person than that. I guess he really was just a savage demon.  
"Maybe I should just give up.." I whispered to myself as I lay in my bed, staring at my ceiling. But I couldn't... Even though Hiei had been such a jackass to me in his bedroom, even though I was wiping tears away from my face, something about all his comments seemed... forced. Maybe I was just in denial. Feeling down, I turned to the only thing that always cheered me up; my guitar. I pulled it from under my bed, layed it on my stomach and began plucking chords, inventing a new melody, with lyrics to go with it. I spent a while jotting them down in a notebook, and by the time I was done I had a complete song. I stared at the lyrics and sighed, placing the notebook in my bedside drawer, my guitar under my bed, and my body under my covers. I let one last tear slip from my eye as I thought of Hiei. I was ashamed of myself, I'd never been the type of girl to fall for a guy that treated her like shit.  
I guess there's a first time for everything.

_**To be continued...**_


	15. Chapter 15

_****I can't thank everyone enough for all your reviews(:**_  
_**I love all of your feedback, it helps a lot, thank you!**_

_**& on a side note, my updates might be coming a bit slower in the next week or so, because my laptop charger broke, and I'm waiting for a new one. right now I have to wiggle it around for it to charge for even two minutes, and its just not working. but once i get the new charger, i promise the updates will be cranked out like crazy(:**_

_**Enjoy!****_

_**Week 4; Day 1: Fire**_

It was about noon on the day I was to begin training with Hiei. I hadn't spoken with him since the night he'd pretty much used his words to slap me in the face, besides when he told me he wanted us to train specifically at night. I hadn't responded, not wanting to blow up on him like I felt like I was going to. Botan, Keiko, and Yukina had noticed my sulky mood, and had ordered a meeting in Botan's room, a sort of all girls pow wow.  
"What's going on, Tsukiyo?" Keiko asked in a concerned manner as we all sat in Botan's room with bowls of ice cream. I shoved my spoon in my mouth and swished my favorite ice cream; butter pecan; over my tounge. "Nothing, Keiko," I lied to her with a fake smile, "I'm completely fine."  
"Come on, Tsukiyo." Botan piped up with her eyebrow raised. "You're such a horrible liar." She drizzled some chocolate sauce on her already double chocolate ice cream, took a bite, and sighed in content.  
"You've been acting very strange lately, Tsuki," Yukina said. She hadn't even touched her orange sherbert yet, but was mixing it around with her spoon. It began to melt. "Sort of sad."  
The girls all nodded in agreement, and I layed back on Botan's pink bed, being careful not to spill my ice cream. A large poster of Ryan Reynolds stared at me from it's place taped on her ceiling. "It's nothing, you guys." I assured them, but they each gave me looks. They knew I was lying, so there was no point in going on. "Ugggh, fine," I groaned, and proceeded to tell them all about Hiei, my certain crush on him, and his change of moods.  
"Aww, I knew you liked him!" Keiko squealed, almost tipping her bowl of cookies and cream ice cream over. "That was a close one.." She breathed a sigh of relief.  
"Yea, but he hates me." I replied glumly. "There's no point in my even looking at him, really. And it's just awkward because I have to train with him." I sighed, taking another bite of ice cream. "I hate my life."  
The girls all stared at me.  
"Just kidding, I don't hate my life. But you know what I mean."  
"Well, Tsukiyo.." Yukina began to speak to me, placing her bowl on the floor next to her. "Like I told you... Hiei likes you. I can just tell."  
I looked over at her. I instantly remembered when Hiei told me about their relation, and wondered if she knew or if he really was keeping a huge secret from her. Everyone was quiet as we listened to her, me especially.  
"What do you mean..?" I asked her, not wanting to get my hopes up, "He told me he danced with me out of pitty."  
Yukina shook her head.  
"He's lying to you, Tsuki." Her voice was very assuring but I was still unsure. "Hiei just wants to make it seem like he feels nothing... Like nothing gets to him, he's supposed to be a cruel, heartless fighter, a demon... and he just wants his image to stay that way."  
We all stared at her as she told me this, seeming so sure of herself. "In a way... I think he just doesn't want to get hurt, and he doesn't want to hurt you with his certain lifestyle."  
"But he won't hurt me..." I replied, and Botan and Keiko listened intently to our conversation like Yukina and I were a movie, gulping down their ice cream. "I understand his lifestyle. In a way, our lives are similar. I just don't understand why he has to be so mean to me."  
"It's just his nature. He'll come around, Tsuki." Yukina said with a smile, "Trust me, I know my brother."  
Botan choked on her ice cream and coughed as she heard Yukina's final statement. Keiko just stared wide eyed, her mouth agape.  
"Wait, what?" I squealed, sitting up abruptly.  
"What..?" Yukina asked cluelessly as she looked back and forth between the three of us. Keiko was now patting Botan on the back in order to ease her coughing. "What's wrong..?"  
"You mean..." I took it upon myself to answer her since Botan and Keiko were clearly unable. "You know Hiei's your brother..?"  
"Yes, I do.." Yukina replied as her eyes softened, but still looked a bit sad. "I've always known, since the first day we met."  
"But it's supposed to be a secret, isn't it?" Botan asked, finally able to breathe.  
"It's supposed to be." Yukina nodded.  
"But if you've known for so long, why haven't you told Hiei?" Keiko added in her question.  
"I'm waiting."  
"For what?" I asked.  
"For when Hiei thinks the time is right. He'll tell me then, and I'll also have something to tell him. It'll all work out.. I can wait." "Wow.." Keiko, Botan, and I muttered in unison.  
I admired Yukina's strength and ability to always stay on the bright side. I wished I could trade places with her sometimes... But then I remind myself I'd be dating Kuwabara, and that in itself is a creepy thought.

After my talk with Yukina, I'd felt much better. Now, it had just gotten dark, and I headed outside to meet with Hiei for our first training session. I wasn't quite sure what the expect, but I knew I could handle it. I hoped so, at least. I made my way out to the lake where Hiei had told me to meet him, but he was no where in sight. I glanced around to try and search for him. "Maybe he's deeper into the woods.." I wondered aloud as I turned to make my way into the trees. But before I could get very far, I heard something drop from the tree neartest the lake, and land softly on the ground. I turned my head, and sure enough, there he stood.  
"Hey, Hiei." I greeted him, and he shoved his hands in the pockets of his black cloak.  
"Hn. You showed up." Hiei remarked, as if he was surprised to see me. "You've either got some major guts, or you're just incredibly stupid."  
"Or maybe both." I said with a shrug. "C'mon, let's get working."  
Hiei narrowed his eyes at me. He leapt in front of me before I could start walking.  
"Fine." He said, turning on his heel. "Let's go."  
He then led me into the depths of the woods, so far my legs began to ache.  
"Why are we going so far, Hiei?" I complained in a whiney tone.  
"Hn, pathetic," The fire demon grunted at me, "You can't even handle the walk to the training site."  
I furrowed my brow and shut my mouth at this point. I didn't want him to think he was getting the best of me.  
Finally, we arrived in a clearing, the canopy of leaves above us letting just a bit of moonlight in. It was extremely dark.  
"I can't see anything." I said, squinting my eyes as if that would help the situation.  
"That's the point." Hiei's voice replied. "You don't need to see. Close your eyes."  
"I think that'd be pretty pointless.."  
"Close them, onna, before I leave you out here for the coyotes."  
I sighed and closed my eyes.  
"There." I said, slapping my hands to my sides. "Now what?"  
"Pin point my spirit energy."  
"What?"  
"I'm not going to repeat every single word that comes out of my mouth."  
"Well how the hell am I supposed to know how to do that?"  
"Well you'd better learn, or you'll be eaten alive by any demon that comes across your path. Keep your eyes closed."  
"I haven't opened them, chill out."  
"Hn."  
I didn't reply. I just concentrated on what he was telling me to do, pin pointing his spirit energy. I took deep breaths, trying to imagine a flame. Hiei was a fire demon, his spirit energy was based on flames... burning hot and intense. A minute or so passed by. Hiei's sharp voice broke the air.  
"If you aren't going to follow my instructions, then I shouldn't even be here wasting my-"  
"Wait." I interupted him. "... There..." A red aura clouded the inside of my eyelids. I slowly opened them, feeling them burn a red glow. "I see it." I told Hiei. He was surrounded by the red aura, and it was pulsating. It was such a weird feeling, but I could feel his immense power. "Hn. At least you can do something right." Hiei sneered at me in a somewhat sarcastic tone. I blinked, losing the aura.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded, placing a hand on my hip. Before I could answer, Hiei leapt into the trees. I blinked.  
"Hey!" I cried out, looking around for his body, but I could see nothing.  
"Let's see how well you can pin point a moving target, onna." Hiei's voice echoed down somewhere from the canopy, but I couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from.  
"Aren't we moving a little fast..?" I asked as I tried to stall for time, trying to pin point him, but it wasn't easy.  
"Quit running your mouth and foucs." Hiei replied. I sighed in annoyance and closed my eyes, taking deep breaths, picturing flames; just like before. I cleared my mind. I could hear him leaping back forth from limb to limb. I could picture him in my mind, and I just slowed him down further and further... until finally, I got him. He was coming straight at me from behind. I smirked.  
"There you are.." I whispered to myself, whirling around and pulling my arms upward, ducking under a shield of rock and sand. Hiei fell right into it, landing on his feet about a yard away from me, spitting sound out of his mouth and wiping it from his eyes. He peered at me from afar.  
"Not too bad, onna."  
"Will you stop calling me that?"  
"Now that's test your blocking."  
I was getting frustrated now. He was completely ignoring me. But I had no time to fester about it before he darted at me, throwing swift punches. I squealed a bit before ducking, causing him to miss... but just barely. *Close one..* I thought to myself while staring at Hiei in a determined manner. He took an elbow shot at me, but I ducked again, kicking his legs out from underneath him, but he made a quick save by falling onto his hands and doing a sort of handspring. I furrowed my brow.  
"Don't think for one moment that I'll fall for your tricks." Hiei demeaned me before taking a shot at my stomach, but I jumped away. I focused my energy on the wind element this time, thrusting my hands toward Hiei and propelling him back with a gust of wind, but once again he bounced right back, flipping himself off the trunk of a tree. "I'm faster," Hiei continued to cut me down with his remarks, but I tried to tune him out. He took another shot, this time hitting me in my shoulder. I stumbled back but stayed on guard. "I'm stronger," He got a shot in my stomach. I let out a loud groan, clutching where he'd hit me. I squinted one eye. "And I'm older."  
"Age has nothing to do with anything," I croaked, my eyes glowing green as a forced a tomb of rock up from the ground, trapping Hiei, but he broke out all too easily.  
"It does when I have such an extreme advantage over you." He spat right back at me, "Your tecnique is poor."  
"Is it?" I asked softly, lifting myself into the air. Hiei's eyes shot up with me, and I smirked. "Looks like I've got you-"  
"What?" Hiei asked. He was suddenly behind me. I whirled around, wide eyed. Hiei took his foot and placed it on my chest, shoving me hard toward the ground. I couldn't catch myself in time, and slammed hard into the grass, tumbling over backwards a bit.  
"Owwww..." I moaned as I held my acheing ribs. I took in a sharp breath. "You knocked the wind out of me..."  
"How ironic." Hiei commented, now standing above me. I rolled my eyes and painfully sat up. "Get up, do it over again." He demanded, placing his hands in his pockets.  
"Will you give me a minute, you kinda just kicked me out of the sky."  
"The fall wasn't that bad, stop being a baby."  
"I'm not being a baby."  
"Then get up. Now."  
"Will you give me thirty seconds?"  
"If I was a blood thirsty demon, you wouldn't have thirty seconds. You'd be dead." Hiei's voice got dark. "I don't intend to let that happen... Although it's not my problem or my responsibility." He added the last part in quickly. I blinked my eyes.  
"But you're not a demon... well you are, but I'm pretty positive you're not trying to kill me," I debated against him, finally standing up. "But you coulda fooled me..."  
There was a pause between the two of us.  
"Hn." Hiei grunted typically. "Let's go again."  
And so we did, Hiei and I repeated the ritual over and over, until finally I was getting good, but I was exhausted. "Not anywhere near perfect," Hiei sighed, "But getting better... I suppose."  
"Thanks." I replied as I rolled my eyes. It was silent and I sighed as I realized there were bits of twigs and grass twisted into my hair. I tried to pry them out, but to no avail. I just made it worse. "Uggghh.. This would happen to me..."  
"Quit your whining." Hiei growled at me. He watched me a few more moments before becoming frustrated with my lack of success. "For christ's sake! Hold still."  
He stomped over to me, and slapped my hands away from my hair. I flinched as he placed his hands where mine had been two seconds ago, and I flinched, thinking he'd simply rip the twigs from my hair. But Hiei surprised me, using gentle touches and movements, softly pulling my dark blue hair away from the tangled mess. I slowly untensed and let my guard down, watching his face. In a way, it was still hard and stoney, but I could tell he was concentrating... Making his facial features a bit softer. I felt myself blush, and thanked god it was too dark to notice. My stomach fluttered as Hiei's hand just barely brushed my cheek. Finally, our eyes locked. It felt as if time was frozen. "... Thanks." I said, my voice sounding loud, even thought I spoke very softly. Hiei's expression wavered a moment.  
"Hn." He turned away from me. "Don't thank me. I was just sparing myself of your wretched whining."  
I felt my heart sink a bit as I watched his back. He walked a few steps before stopping, realizing I wasn't following him.  
"Are you coming home or not." He demanded. He sounded a bit bitter.  
"...Yea..." I replied after a few seconds, "I'm coming.."  
It amazed me that after at least two months, I still hadn't figured Hiei out. I wondered if it would it always be this way... Or if I'd ever have my chance with him...

_**To be continued...**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**Week 4; Day 2: Fire**_

The morning after my first training session with Hiei, I woke up stiff as a board. My muslces ached and strained as I tried to pull myself out of bed, but it was pointless. My body was just not cooperating with me.  
"Yukina...?" I called out helplessly, "Keiko...? Botan...? Anyone!"  
I heard footsteps rushing down the hall, and the girls all rushed into my room, almost knocking each other over. "What is it, Tsukiyo?" Botan asked, sounding paniced. "What's wrong?"  
"My muslces are sore," I whined, "I can't get up!"  
The girls stared and blinked a moment, then sighed.  
"We thought you were dying or something," Keiko said to me as the three of them made their way over to my bed. They all grabbed ahold of my arms and slowly pulled me out of my bed.  
"Ow, ow, ow," I yipped, and I was finally on my feet. "I feel like the tin man."  
"I'll run and get my oil can," Yukina joked, followed by a soft giggle.  
"Thanks, guys.. I thought I was going to be stuck in my bed for the rest of my life." I said with a chuckle. "... Now could you help me walk over to my closet..? I need to pick out my clothes.."  
Keiko, Botan, and Yukina laughed as they helped me to my closet.  
"Wear these!" Botan squealed, holding up a pair of snuggly fitting pink sweat pants with white accents. "I bet they'll make your butt look cute, and they're pink, which is even better." She giggled.  
"Okay, okay," I laughed while I took the pants from her, "What shirt?" The girls sifted through my closet, looking for a shirt to match the pants. Finally, Keiko pulled a winner; a white tank top with a shiny red heart on the front.  
"Okay, now off to the shower!" I cheered after picking a pair of underwear and a bra. I paused. "...Which I'll need help getting to!"  
"Oh, Tsukiyo!" Botan shrieked, but couldn't help laughing.  
Before I knew it, the girls had propelled me to the bathroom, and I was locked inside.  
"Try not to kill yourself in there," Keiko called through the door.  
"I'll try my best," I called back jokingly. I heard the three of them giggle as they descended down the stairs, and I hobbled over to the shower. I started the hot water, and in no time steam filled the bathroom. I carefully removed my pajamas and brushed my teeth. I then made my way to the shower, and slowly stepped inside. I sighed in content as the hot water instantly loosened my tight muscles. I stood under the water a moment, feeling the streams run courses all over my body. I picked up a bottle of new shampoo, strawberries & cream scented. I opened the bottle and took a whiff of it.  
"Mmmm.." I hummed in approval. I lathered a glob of it deeply into my hair, enjoying the sweet aroma. I used the mathcing conditioner and body washed, quickly shaved, and spent another minute or so under the hot water. Once I shut the water off, I timed my escape from the steamy shower into the cooler bathroom where my towel rested on the counter just right, only earning a few goosebumps from the chill. I wrapped myself in the towel after I dried my hair to a damp state, deciding to braid it down my back. I got dressed and applied some light make up, and stretched my muscles out; still a bit sore, but a lot looser. I could actually walk by myself now. I made my way out of the bathroom, and instantly was welcomed with the smell of breakfast. It reminded me of the first morning I'd woke up here at the house. It was comforting.  
"Good morning, Tsukiyo!" Kurama greeted me from the kitchen as I started down the stairs. Botan, Keiko, and Yukina were setting the table, and Kuwabara and Yusuke were bringing plates of food over to it hastily. "Hungry?"  
"Yea, starving." I replied with a smile, patting my stomach. "What'd you make?"  
"Stuffed french toast," Yusuke answered for Kurama, his mouth almost watering, "Sausage, fruit salad..."  
"Hurry up and get in here so we can eat!" Kuwabara demanded, sitting at his usual seat at the table. "Alright, alright," I said, "Calm down."  
I sat down beside Botan, Kurama sitting on the other side of me.  
"Kurama this is amazing." Keiko stated in awe as she spooned a piece of stuffed french toast onto her plate. "Thank you, Keiko." Kurama said with a gentle smile. He placed some fruit salad on his plate, as well as some sausage. Yusuke and Kuwabara piled enormous amounts of food onto their plates and began to inhale it all down. "How was your first training session with Hiei last night, Tsukiyo?" Kurama asked me between chews. I shrugged.  
"It was fine I guess," I said, "You were right about him working me to the core... He's tough."  
Kurama nodded.  
"I told you. But it will definitely benefit your strength." He told me.  
"Maybe not if you wake up with your muscles in knots every morning," Keiko added into our conversation as she poured herself a glass of orange juice.  
"True." I agreed, "But that was only because of the first day. It'll get better." I took a sip of my own orange juice. "I hope..."  
"It will," Kurama assured me. "It will."

**_-Hiei's POV-_**

I stood out in the middle of the woods. There were only fifteen minutes left before Tsukiyo would be meeting me, and as usual, I had far too much on my mind. I zoned myself out for a moment, thinking of Tsukiyo. It would be so much simpler just to tell her of this feeling that had overcome me, but I knew in the back of my mind it could never happen. There were too many demons on my bad side... If they knew I'd found a female to call my own, to love and protect and hold dear to me, they would surely take that as an opportunity for revenge. She would surely be killed. I couldn't let that happen.  
It took almost all of my will power to keep myself from grabbing Tsukiyo and pulling her soft, gentle frame into my body, never letting her go. Every time I saw how one of my deliberately savage comments hurt her, or everytime she smiled... I knew I would never find another like her, but it could never be anymore than fictional moments lived inside my head.  
"Where is that girl.." I grumbled to myself. Seventeen minutes had passed, Tsukiyo was two minutes late. Four more minutes passed. Then three more. Then one more. Now I was getting frustrated. Beautiful or not, she was wasting my time. I was just about to leave for home and cancel our entire training session all together when she appeared from behind the trees. She was breathing heavy, obviously she'd ran all the way here. I glared at her, and it's true, I was angry that my time had been wasted. Angry that she had been late. But, as I looked her, dressed in her black leggings that hugged her every curve and yellow tank top, her hair pulled away from her face in a french braid... I forgot about my frustration for a moment, although I never let my expression waver.  
"You're late." I informed Tsukiyo sharply. "I was about to leave."  
"I know... I'm really sorry.." She apologized breathlessly, and proceeded to try and tell me why she was late. I cut her off.  
"Don't bother." I said, "You're lucky I don't punish you with drills. But I'll have mercy on you just this once." I gave her a harsh look.  
"Okay.." Tsukiyo said, finally regaining her breath. She apologized once more, but I ignored her. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a solid object, placing it on the ground. A simple wax candle. Tsukiyo glanced at it, then back up at me quizically.  
"Light it." I ordered her. She seemed to wait for further instruction, but there wasn't any. "I said 'light it'." I spoke slower for her.  
"I... don't know how.." Tsukiyo confessed, knealing down to the candle to take a closer look, as if it was a trick question, and there might be a switch or something to light the candle.  
"You don't know how because you're not trying, onna." I told her, leaning against a tree trunk. She gave me a strong look.  
"Stop calling me that," She attempted to give me an order, and I had to fight back a smirk at her failure to be assertive. It was sort of cute.  
"I'll stop calling you that when you light the candle...onna." I said to her. She knew I was deliberately pushing her buttons, so she furrowed her brow at me, but then focused on the candle. She just stared at it for a moment, before slowly reaching out and touching the wick. She flicked it back and forth. I rolled my eyes and she simply pushed the candle over on its side in the grass.  
"I got nothin.." She admitted with a shrug. Now she was deliberately pushing my buttons...  
"For fuck's sake," I growled, knealing down to her level and setting the candle back up right. "Watch."  
I lowered my hand to the candle, placed my index finger and thumb on the wick, and rubbed them together in one quick motion. A flame ignited, and the candle began burning.  
"Ohh.." Tsukiyo muttered as she stared at the candle, but I blew it out before she could take in too much.  
"Remember what I did?" I asked in annoyance, but didn't give her a chance to respond. "Now you do it."  
She nodded and rubbed her hands on her leggings before placing one at the wick, just like I had done. She rubbed her fingers together. Nothing.  
"Concentrate, onna." I ordered her. She sighed loudly. She tried again. Still nothing. I repeated myself. Another try. Still nothing.  
"Concentrate, onna." I repeated myself for the third time. She slapped her palms onto her legs in frustration and glared sharply at me. I kept my facial expression flat.  
"STOP CALLING ME THAT, HIEI!" She shouted at me. It was the first time I'd ever heard her so upset, so angry, and that was the key.  
"Hold onto that anger." I said to her calmly, "Try to ignite the wick again." I grabbed her hand and placed it in position on the wick. "Try it. Go. Now."  
She looked at me quizically for a moment but did as I told her, and rubbed her fingers together. The flame ignited quickly, and she pulled her hand back in surprise. She then looked at me with a huge grin on her face, the anger completely drained from her body.  
"I did it!' She squealed. I fought so hard to fight the smile that was begging to be set free. I was victorious.  
"That's the key." I said as I blew the candle out.  
"What's the key..?" Tsukiyo asked.  
"Anger." I replied, standing up. She followed suit. "Anger is the key to triggering the fire that courses through your veins. For now, at least. When you get better, you won't have to think much." I shoved my hands in the pocket of my cloak.  
"Alright, now what?" Tsukiyo asked, rubbing her hands together. "I'm pumped! Ready to bring the heat!" She jabbed at the air a few times, and I simply raised an eyebrow at her before turning my attention away.  
"Let's move on to something a bit more difficult." I suggested, and Tsukiyo agreed quite eagerly. "Fire balls. Simple."  
"I thought you said difficult?" Tsukiyo placed her hands on her hips.  
"I said more difficult. Still simple." I said. "Fire balls. Hold your palms about five inches apart." She followed my instructions.  
"Now, get angry." I demanded of her, and she nodded. She stared at the space between her palms. She began thinking hard, and I could tell it was working. Her eyes began to glow and orange color, and her hair stood on end. Her brow furrowed. And slowly, ever so slowly, a flame began to swirl and build between her palms. She began to gasp, and the flame shrunk.  
"Don't lose focus," I snapped, "Don't lose focus... Keep it going. Make it grow.."  
I watched as she spread her palms further apart, making the flame grow and grow, and I felt proud of her. Soon the flame grew too much for her to control in just the palms of her hands, so it distinguished itself. Tsukiyo smiled at me again, and clapped her hands.  
"So cool!" She stated, "By far my favorite element."  
"Alright, enough talking." I said, which shut her up quickly. "Let's move on."  
I was moving quickly, and Tsukiyo seemed to just nod and do what I told her to. We worked on more fireballs, just generating them. We also worked on fireball target practice, which she did alright on... could still use some work. The next thing was the cloak of embers.  
"This will take some conentration." I warned her as we began. "Think of a blanket. A blanket made up entirely of flames, that will cloak your body and serve as a temporary shield."  
"Uhm... okay," Tsukiyo agreed, sounding a bit nervous about this particular task. She held her arms out at her sides, and closed her eyes. A veil of flames began to shower over her, creating a sort of curtain. I waited a moment to see if she could hold it... and she did. I smirked a bit.  
"Not bad, onna..." I complimented her, and she released the cloak of embers. "It seems like you could be getting the hang of this sooner than I expected."  
"Really?" Tsukiyo said slyly, making me regret I'd said anything at all. "Yes, really." I said, glaring at her, hopefully giving her the hint not to take it any further.  
"So, Hiei could have possibly been wrong?" She continued to taunt me.  
"Shut it, onna." I snarled back at her.  
"Hey!" She yelped, "You said if I lit the candle you'd stop calling me onna."  
I just stared at her.  
"Haha, I win." She stuck her tongue out at me. I wanted to kiss her...  
"You didn't win anything," I grumbled at her, disguising my urge. "Now let's get back to training."  
"Did so." She muttered.  
"I said," I gave Tsukiyo a sharp look, "Let's get back to training."  
"Alright, alright."  
"One more round of fireball target practice. Let's go."  
She nodded and followed my directions, tossing fireballs my way. I caught them all easily absorbing them, but tried tossing one right back at her to test her reflexes... which weren't very good.  
She screeched in pain as the flame grazed her arm, leaving a burn. She squeezed her eyes shut and grasped her arm, sitting on the ground. Before I knew it, I was rushing to her side.  
"Ow, ow, ow..." She whispered to herself. She gripped her arm tightly.  
"Stupid girl," I muttered as I knealt down in front of her. "You were supposed to dodge."  
"Well you didn't tell me that!" She snapped at me, "How was I supposed to know?"  
"You have to be able to think on your feet. You're not always going to be warned of an attack coming your way, especially if your opponent is aiming to kill you." "Fine..."  
I reached for her arm, but she pulled back. When I glanced up at her eyes, they seemed unnerved, almost fearful.  
"I'm not going to hurt you, Tsukiyo." I assured her. I couldn't be mean to her now, not when she was looking at me like that. I felt as if my plan was slowly heading down the drain.  
"You kinda already did.." She mumbled, looking down at her singed arm.  
"You have to be able to think on your feet!" I repeated myself from earlier and she furrowed her brow at me.  
"I know!" She yelled back, and I just decided to end this bickering and focus on her injury.  
"Give me your arm." I said.  
She just looked at me, her eyebrow now raised. I sighed loudly.  
"Give me your arm, PLEASE."  
She slowly extended her arm to me, and I took it in my hands. After a moment of careful examination, I determined the burns weren't too bad, but needed treatment.  
"Let's go back to the house." I said as I stood up. "Your arm needs treatment."  
"Okay.." Tsukiyo agreed, standing up while still grasping her arm.

After Tsukiyo and I quietly made our way inside the sleeping house, I led her up to my room. As she sat on my bed, I remembered the night I'd bandaged the wound on her back. I tried not to think to deeply about it to avoid angering myself. I pulled my first aid kit from under my bed, opened it, and took some anti bacterial spray and bandages out.  
"Hold still." I instructed Tsukiyo as she held her arm out to me. "This is going to sting."  
"I know, I still remember from-" I stopped her in midsentence as I sprayed the medicine onto her burns. She flinched and bit her bottom lip. "-last time.."  
Once her arm was bandaged and my first aid kit was stowed away, she began to yawn. Her eyes became droopy, and I had to get up and turn to my closet to hide the small smile that had finally broken through.  
"If you're tired, go to your room and go to sleep." I said to her as I stripped my cloak from my body and hung it up in the closet. Tsukiyo didn't respond. "Do you hear me, Tsukiyo?" I took off my tank top and repeated the sequence. Still no answer.  
When I turned around, I saw her sleeping form curled up on the right side of my bed. I sighed softly, and walked over to her.  
"Tsukiyo." I said, shaking her shoulder a bit. She didn't wake up. "Hey."  
She still didn't wake up, rather than snuggle herself deeper into the pillow, settling her body into my bed. I narrowed my eyes a bit and debated with myself wether or not to carry her to her room.  
"Fuck it.." I muttered to myself after a few moments. "I suppose you can sleep here for the night.." I was basically talking to myself.  
I made sure Tsukiyo was really asleep before removing my pants, stripped down only to my boxers, and finally climbed into bed, facing her back. I closed my eyes and listened to her breathing, it was almost hypnotic.  
Suddenly, the bed shifted, and I opened my eyes a bit automatically. Tsukiyo had rolled over and was now facing me. Her face looked so peaceful, and I watched as her chest rose and fell with her gentle breaths. For a little while I just kept my eyes on her, feeling them soften. A strand of her blue hair dropped down across her face, blocking my view. I waited a few moments before something came over me, and my hand found its way to her cheek, gently brushing the strand of hair behind her ear. Luckily she was undisturbed from her slumber, and I quickly drew my hand back.  
"What are you doing, Hiei.." I scolded myself. "...but I just can't help it... I don't know how long I'll be able to keep this a secret.."  
But I had to. I had no choice.  
It was Tsukiyo's own safety, no matter how much it pained me to watch her from so close, unable to call her my own.  
All I could do was protect her, keep her safe, and love her from afar...  
That would have to do, even though I knew with every fiber of my being that it would never be good enough.

_**To be continued...**_


	17. Chapter 17

_****I got my new charger todaaay, wooo(:****_

_****This chapter contains mild sexual references/phrases****_

_**-Tsukiyo's POV-**_

_The night sky was blood red. The air was thick, suffocating... As I looked up, I could see a portal tear the sky open, a gaping black hole. Hideous demons fled from that portal, drooling and grinning, flashing their sharp, disgusting yellow teeth. As well as the demons, a sort of lightning flashed from inside the portal, seeming to reach down just inches above the earth._  
_Around me, I could see Yusuke... Kurama... Kuwabara...They were all shouting back and forth to each other, but I could hear nothing, absolutely nothing, like my whole world was on mute. The boys drew their weapons of chose; rose whip, spirit gun, and spirit sword; and took a fighting stance. They were all here, but someone was missing. Where was-_  
_"Don't you fucking touch her!"_  
_A voice rang out, shattering the silence. I knew that voice, but why couldn't I place it? I was about to turn to search for the source, when I was grabbed from behind in a pair of crushing arms. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't move._  
_"TSUKIYO!"_  
_That voice again..._

My eyes snapped open and I jolted upward, taking in a sharp breath. It felt like I'd been sleeping with a fifty pound weight on my chest.  
"That was... such a strange dream..." I whispered to myself, trying to catch my breath. That's when I noticed something was different. I rubbed my sleepy eyes, and peered around the room. The walls were red in place of my purples ones... The furniture was was black... Curtains were black... I looked down at the bed, knowing I'd see silky black and white instead of purple. Then I saw Hiei, shirtless, sleeping on his stomach with his arms hooked under his pillow. His head was turned away from me. The muscles in his arms and back showed nicely... I shook my head when I realized I was checking Hiei out. I quickly but quietly made my way out of Hiei's bed, backing my way towards the door. I was almost there, so close. And then, to my horror, I bumped into a display of books. Since when did Hiei read? The books toppled to the floor, causing a sumphony of loud thuds and thumps. I just stood frozen, as the last of the books hit the floor, and Hiei jolted awake, leaping out of his bed in his boxers. He blindly grabbed his katana, and held it in a fighting stance. "Hiei, it's just me!" I squealed, "It's Tsukiyo!"  
When he saw me, Hiei lowered his weapon and gave me that infamous glare. "What are you doing?" He damanded.  
"I don't know, what am I doing?" I demanded right back, "Why am I in here... and why are you naked?" Hiei looked down at his black boxers, and I could see him blush, but he didn't make any effort to cover himself up.  
"Because you're in my room, and that's how I sleep." Hiei hissed at me, seeming just a bit calmer, but not much.  
"Okay, well that still dowsn't answer my first question," I said as I tried not to stare at Hiei's muscular torso, "Why am I in here?"  
"Don't you remember falling asleep in here last night?" He asked as he set his katana down on the table. I gave him a blank stare. "...After training?"  
I shook my head and Hiei's rolled his crimson eyes.  
"Your stupidity isn't my concern." He pulled back back his covers and sat on his bed.  
"Why didn't you just wake me up?" I asked curiously as I placed my hands on my hips.  
"Excuse me for not wanting to disturb you." Hiei replied curtly, situating his pillow. I raised one eyebrow.  
"Since when do you care...?" I asked him suspiciously. Instantly, his facial expression changed. He seemed flustered, but he desperately tried to keep his cool.  
"I don't." He said simply. A grin crossed over my face.  
"Yes you do, you liar!" I remarked slyly as I pointed at him.  
"No, I don't." His voice was calm but sharp as he narrowed his eyes at me. But I wasn't intimidated.  
"Hiei caaaares," I sang at him.  
"I don't, Tsukiyo."  
"Do, too."  
"No."  
"Yup."  
"Shut up."  
"You care! Say you care."  
"No! Now shut your blabbering mouth and get the hell out of my room."  
"The only reason you're getting so mad is because you know you care, and you didn't want me to find out."  
"TSUKIYO."  
I stifled a laugh and placed my hand on the doorknob.  
"Alright, alright." I said as I waved my hand at him. "I'm going."  
"I should have taken my katana to you when I had the chance." Hiei grumbled as he began to lay down.  
"You don't take katanas to people you care about, Hiei," I smirked and Hiei glared at me again, "Plus, it would have helped if you took it out of its sheath."  
Hiei chucked his pillow at my head, but I swiftly dodged. I stuck my tounge out at at him before ducking out of his room, shutting the door behind me. In the hallway, I was startled a bit by Yusuke and Kuwabara. They quickly jumped up and propped themselves against the wall, trying to look casual... Which was hard to do when the house was still dark, their hair was ruffled from sleep, and they were wearing their pajamas. "Hey, guys..." I greeted them suspiciously.  
"Hey, Tsukiyo." Yusuke replied smoothly as he crossed his arms.  
"Sup." Kuwabara said, tilting his head upward. He was trying just a little too hard.  
"Were you... eavesdropping?" I asked with a motion toward Hiei's door. They each shook their heads and and spoke at the same time. "No way, we were just out and about."  
"What? Uh, no, we were just... yea, out and about."  
I blinked at them, wondering if they thought I was going to take them seriously, so I decided to ask. This only promoted more stammering and paniced glances between the two of them, so I just held my hands up in front of me to get them to stop.  
"You guys really should have thought this plan through," I told them with a slight chuckle. "So, you were eavesdropping."  
"You could say that.." Yusuke agreed, nodding and shrugging sheepishly. "What was all the yelling about?" Kuwabara dove into the questions. I shook my head and smiled.  
"It was nothing, Kuwabara." I assured him, but he didn't seem to believe me, and neither did Yusuke.  
"Were you guys fighting or something?" Yusuke asked, "How'd you even get in there? Hiei never lets anyone in his room."  
"No, no. We weren't fighting, nothing like that," I replied as I ran my fingers through my hair, which had fallen out of its french braid. "I just fell asleep in there last night, that's all."  
The boys gave me suspicious, narrow-eyed looks, making me feel a little nervous. "...What?" I asked, feeling my eyes shift about. Yusuke leaned down to my height and I just blinked at him.  
"Tsukiyo... did you and Hiei..." He paused, searching for the words, "...Do that deed?"  
I raised my eyebrows at him, but said nothing.  
"You know, banging, humping, screwing.." Kuwabara elaborated, counting the crude slang phrases on his fingers, while Yusuke formed a circle with his right index finger and then, insterting his left index finger into it.  
"I know what you mean!" I snapped, feeling my face turn beet red in embarrassment. I slapped Yusuke's hands away, and he rubbed them, pouting a bit.  
"Ow..." He whined, and I just rolled my eyes.  
"So... Did you?" Kuwabara pressed on. I swear I could feel my blood boil.  
"No!" I hissed, "We did not sleep together!"  
"Damn, I forgot that one." Kuwabara cursed himself, slapping his hand against his forehead. I sighed loudly and began to push my way past the boys.  
"Oh, my god," I muttered, "I'm going to bed."  
"Where are you going, Tsukiyo?" Yusuke called after me, "Your bed's in Hiei's room!"  
I flipped Kuwabara and Yusuke the bird over my shoulder as they snickered, and soon I was safely closed up in my room. I flopped onto my bed, taking a glance at the clock; 3:47 AM. It wasn't easy for me to calm my adrenaline enough to fall asleep again. I had to try hard not to think about Yusuke and Kuwabara's teasing, and especially hard not to think about waking up in Hiei's room.  
It was tough, and it took some time, but finally I felt myself get drowsy, and soon enough I was fast asleep again.

_**Week 4; Day 3: Fire**_

It was the end of our training for that night, and Hiei and I were on our way back to the house. "Tomorrow we'll work on more advanced fire tecniques," Hiei spoke up suddenly, "I think you're ready."  
"Sounds good," I replied, putting my hands behind my head. My burned arm stung a bit.  
"How's your arm?" Hiei asked, as if he'd read my mind.  
"Oh, it's better." I said to him. Hiei didn't say anything. I smiled as I remembered our little squabble from earlier that morning. Hiei peered at me out of the corner of his eye.  
"What are you smiling about?" Hiei asked, although seeming uninterested. "C'mon, Hiei," I said as I looked at him, still smiling. "Admit it."  
"Admit what?"  
"That you like me just a little bit."  
"Why would I want to do that."  
"Because it's true."  
"And how do you know that?"  
"You're smiling."  
"Am I?"  
"Mmhm."  
Hiei didn't say anything after that, he just kept walking forward, the smallest curve to his lips. "I'll take your silence as a confession." I joked.  
"Don't get your hopes up, Tsuki."  
My eyes brightened.  
"See!" I cheered out, "You called me Tsuki!"  
"I meant onna." He teased me as he looked at me out of the corner of his eye again. I shoved his shoulder playfully, and to my surprise, his smile grew.  
At that moment, I knew something different was taking place between Hiei and I.

_**To be continued...**_


	18. Chapter 18

The next day around noon, the girls and I headed to the store in Keiko's cute little Mazda 3. It was getting cold, and it was supposed to snow tonight, the first snow of the season, so we were picking up some things to make a huge pot of chicken soup. Keiko was driving, of course, with Botan in the front seat, who was constantly switching the radio station. They both were chatting and giggling about something that I couldn't hear over the music, but to be honest I wasn't really paying much attention to them. I sat in the backseat with Yukina, staring out the window, with a soft smile on my face. Ever since last night with Hiei, I had been all smiles.  
"You look happy, Tsukiyo," Yukina spoke up as she noticed my expression. "What's on your mind?"  
I looked over at her, snapping myself out of my day dream. "Oh," I said, "Yea, I am happy... I guess I'm just in a good mood today."  
Yukina smiled.  
"That's great, Tsuki." Yukina said, mimicing my smile. Something in her voice told me she suspected something else was going on, but I just ignored it. But maybe Hiei had already told her? They seemed kind of close. Oh well, I didn't want to jinx myself by telling anyone, anyway.  
Soon, we arrived at the store, and wrapped our jackets around ourselves as we hurried our way through the parking lot.  
"Ahh, it's nice and warm in here.." Botan cooed as we walked through the automatic doors. "I think it's refreshing outside," Yukina said as she grabbed us a shopping cart.  
"Well, that's not suprising," I told her, "You're an ice maiden, you're not supposed to get cold."  
"Tsukiyo's got a point," Keiko agreed with me. The four of us made our way around the grocery store, picking up different types of ingredients, as well as some other snacks that we'd just like to have.  
"Let's see..." Botan mumbled as she read down our list, "We've got the chicken stock... carrots... celeary... onions..."  
We all nodded as we checked over our items in the cart.  
"We're missing potatos." Yukina spoke up as she sifted through the food we had.  
"And the chicken," I piped up. "That's kind of important. I'll go get it."  
"Okay, Tsuki," Botan said, "Meet us in produce."  
"Alright," I called to them as we went in opposite directions. I made my way to the cool section of the market, where all different types of meats were on display. There were a few people there, but not much. I browsed down the aisle, looking for chicken breasts. "Pork chops... Pork tenderloin..." I muttered to myself, "Ground beef... Oh, here it is." I reached down to grab a pack of nice looking chicken, when I noticed another hand going for the same package. I pulled my hand away, and the other hand drew back as well.  
"I'm sorry," I apologized, "You can take-.." I looked up, and I was completely shocked. "... This one.."  
The woman I was staring at had short black hair and striking grey eyes. Her skin was clear, and her eyelashes and eyebrows were kind of thin, but she was still very pretty. It was my human mother... For a moment I just stared at her in shock.  
"...Is there something wrong, honey..?" She said softly as she looked at me with concerned eyes. I remembered that look.. every problem I ever had, that look was there, and it was comforting. Now, it just crushed me, made me sick to my stomach. I remembered the way she used to call me honey.. it used to be so loving, but now.. it was just polite.  
"Oh, uh, n-no ma'am, I'm fine." I replied as I snapped out of my trance, forcing a smile. "I was just saying you could have this pack of chicken, turns out its not the one I'm looking for." As she took it, I wondered what she was making for dinner. Probably her famous chicken tarayaki; She'd won a few awards for it at some county fairs and competitions. It pained me that I wouldn't be sitting at that dinner table tonight. I also wondered what my human father was doing at that very moment...  
"Thank you, sweetheart," My former mother said as she gently took the pack of chicken from my hands. "Have a nice day."  
"You too.." I mumbled as she walked away. I watched her back as she looked around the store, then disappeared into the pasta aisle. Koenma had been right all those weeks ago; she really didn't remember me...  
I felt tears sting my eyes, and my throat burned as I tried to hold them back. "Tsukiyo?" Keiko's voice came into my ears as they appeared by my side. I guess I'd taken longer than I'd expected. "Who was that?"  
I turned my head away from the girls, trying to hide my tears. I knew I couldn't hold them back for long. I cleared my throat and pretended to look for the chicken again.  
"Uh, no one..." I lied, hiding the quiver in my voice as I picked out another package of chicken breasts. "It was no one, here's the chicken.." I tossed the meat into the cart, and made up an excuse to leave the group. I told them I needed to use the restroom, and quickly made my getaway.  
"Alright, dear," Botan called out after me, "Meet us at the car, it shouldn't take very long to check out."  
I didn't reply to Botan, in fact, I barely heard the last words of her sentence. I felt the tears escape my eyes as I burst into the women's bathroom, and luckily there was no one inside. I locked myself in a stall, and bit my lip as I tried to hold the rest of the tears inside my head. I never expected to see my mother again, and it was hard.. We'd been so close, and it hurt to see that she really had forgotten my face. I sobbed once, holding the others back that were fighting so hard to get out.  
"There's nothing I can do about it now.." I "There's nothing I can do about it now..." I whispered to myself as I stared up at the ceiling. I wiped my tearstained cheeks, and closed my eyes. I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. A few minutes passed, and the sobs and tremors slowed down enough for me to come out of the stall. I splashed my face with cold water, and stared at my reflection. A little puffy eyed, but not too bad. I took one more deep breath, and ducked my way through the marked, out into the chilly parking lot. I made it to the car just as Yukina, Keiko, and Botan finished packin the grocery bags into it. I slipped into the backseat, next to Yukina again.  
"Are you alright, Tsukiyo?" Keiko asked as she glanced at me through the rear view mirror. I nodded and flashed her a fake smile.  
"Yea, I'm fine.. just allergies." I assured her, even though it was a lie.  
"Oh, that's not good.." Botan said as she searched through her purse. "I think I have some benadryl in here somewhere.."  
"It's fine, Botan," I said, holding my hand up, "Thanks, but I'll be okay."  
"Well, alright dear.." Botan replied, "Are you sure?"  
"Mhmm." I nodded, and looked out the window.  
In the reflection of the window, I could see Yukina looking at me with sad eyes. She could tell something was wrong... she was so good at reading emotions. Still, I pretended not to notice, because I didn't feel up for explaining. Finally, she just reached over and squeezed my arm, which was very comforting, and then looked out her own window. I sighed softly, and Botan began messing with the radio again. Finally, she settled on a station playing cheerful teen pop music, and she sang to Katy Perry, A Rocket To The Moon, and Allstar Weekend that whole way home.

Once we got home, Kurama offered to help us with the cooking. Botan gave him the task of chopping the celeary, carrots, and onions, while Botan ripped Yusuke's game control from his hands, replacing them with the bag of potatos and the potato peeler.  
"Hey!" Yusuke yelped, "What the.."  
"Peel those potatos, please!" Botan sang as she made her way back to the kitchen. Yusuke sighed in annoyance but got to work, grumbling the whole time.  
"Oh, darn," Kuwabara said as he stretched out in the recliner chair, grabbing the remote, "I guess that means there's nothing left for me to do."  
"Not so fast, Kuwabara," Keiko said as she made her way over to him, pulling him up from the chair, "You can come help me clean the chicken."  
He complained the whole way to the kitchen, but it was no use; Keiko shoved a few chicken breasts toward him, handed him a knife, and told him to trim the fat and bones from the meat. I finished my job of seasoning and heating the chicken broth, then put the lid on the pot to let it simmer.  
"Hey, do you guys mind if I call Koenma and invite him to dinner?" I asked the group in the kitchen as I pulled out my cellphone. There were mixed replies of "No, go ahead!" and "I don't mind at all."  
Except Yusuke, who added his two cents from the couch:  
"I mind."  
"Oh, Yusuke!" Keiko scolded him from her post in the kitchen, "Just keep quiet and peel those potatos!"  
Yusuke sighed loudly and I just chuckled softly as I excused myself to the back porch. I dialed Koenma's number, and held the phone to my ear. I leaned against the wood railing of the porch as I listened to the other line ring.  
"Hello?" Koenma's voice answered after a few rings.  
"Hey, Koenma," I replied as I traced the natural pattern in the wood railing with my finger, "It's me."  
"Tsukiyo?" Koenma's voice got a little higher when he tuned into my voice. "Hey, how are you? Is something wrong?"  
"No, nothing's wrong," I smiled a little bit at his concern, "I just called to invite you to dinner tonight. We're having chicken soup."  
"Oh, really?" Koenma's voice sounded happy, I could almost hear the smile, "Well, I do love a good bowl of chicken soup."  
"So you'll come, then?" I heard my own voice cheer and lighten a bit.  
"Of course, I'll be there," Koenma replied with a chuckle. "What time?"  
"As soon as possible," I pulled my cell phone away from my ear quickly to check the time; 2:30. "Dinner will be ready around five or six, probably, but you should get here a little earlier."  
"Alright then, I'll just finish up here, and I'll be on my way."  
"Okay, see you in a bit. Bye."  
"Bye, Tsukiyo."  
I hung up my phone, feeling a little better now that my brother was coming for dinner.

"Oh, my, that was wonderful." Koenma sighed after everyone had eaten. We'd each had at least two bowls, and there was still a bunch left over in the pot. "I think I'm gonna be leaking chicken soup out of my eyeballs." Yusuke mumbled. Just picturing that made me want to gag. As everyone began settling into the living room for some relaxing TV time, I pulled Koenma aside.  
"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" I asked him quietly. He looked down at me, seeming a little suprised that I'd asked him to talk.  
"Yea, sure," He quickly complied, "Of course."  
I led him out to the back porch; I felt most comfortable out there. The sky was a beautiful orange color, despite the chill in the air; you'd expect it to be dull and grey. Koenma sat down on the porch swing, and I leaned my back against the wood railing. It was quiet for a moment. A cool breeze rustled the trees around us, and the chill gave me goosebumps. I rubbed my arms a bit.  
"Is everything alright, Tsukiyo?" Koenma finally asked, sounding very concerned. His eyes were soft, just like his voice. I looked at him for a moment, and sighed, turning to face the backyard.  
"...I saw my mom today," I told him reluctantly, "When we went to the store." I could already feel the tears fighting, but I wouldn't let them free. Koenma didn't say anything, but I heard the swing creak slightly as he stood up, and the sound of his footsteps against the porch as he made his way to my side.  
"Ah.." He said as he leaned down against the railing, propped on his elbows. I nodded my head. "Did you talk to her?"  
"Kind of.." I said, "We were reaching for the same thing, and I told her she could have it..." I paused a moment.  
"Hmm.." Koenma hummed in reply, nodding his head.  
"She looked exactly the same.." I said, ever so softly, even I could barely hear myself, "...She called me 'honey'.."  
"Tsuki.." Koenma said as he placed a hand on my shoulder, which I could feel start to shake. "You were right," I kept going, my voice quivering now. I hated showing this side of me. "She really didn't remember me.."  
Koenma pulled me into him, giving my arm a squeeze.  
"I just never thought anything would ever be this hard," I sniffled as I wiped my tears away. "I'm sorry."  
"For what?" Koenma asked. He sounded confused.  
"For acting like this, for crying.." I wiped my face again. I just couldn't stop the flood. "It's probably really annoying... Maybe even pathetic."  
"No, no," Koenma assured me, "Of course not, don't ever think anything like that. I told you I'd be here for you, regardless of the reason."  
I smiled a bit.  
"Thanks.." I mumbled, "I guess I just needed to let it all out."  
"Well, that always helps," Koenma patted me on the back, "Everything will be alright."  
"I hope so.." I said, gazing out into the backyard. The snow hadn't fallen yet, I had a feeling the weather man was wrong, which wasn't suprising.  
"I know so." He pulled me into a hug, squeezing me gently, "Until then, you've always got your big brother Koenma."  
"I don't know of very many big brothers that still suck on binkies.." I replied, feeling myself smirk. I felt Koenma's body tense up, and he began stammering and stumbling for excuses. I pulled away from him and started laughing.  
"Calm down," I said, shoving him a little bit, "I was just teasing."  
Koenma then smiled and ruffled my hair.  
"I know, I was just playing along." He said with an unsure smile.  
"You're such a liar." I said as I continued to laugh. Before Koenma could muster a save, the door to the backporch creaked open. Kurama poked his head out.  
"We're about to watch a movie," He told us in his soft, gentle voice, "Do you two want to join us?"  
"What movie?" I asked curiously. I heard mixed shouts of replies from almost everyone in the house of all different movies we could watch. Kurama glanced back at me.  
"That hasn't exactly been descided yet." He replied. I smiled.  
"Yea, sure," I said, "I'm up for a movie."  
"Count me in, too," Koenma agreed as he walked me over to the door, holding it open as I went inside. "Just no bloody movies!"  
"C'mon, Koenma, don't be such a baby!" Yusuke called out from the living room, and we all laughed and snickered at his pun.  
"Ha ha, very funny, Yusuke.." Koenma shot back, "My sides are splitting."  
Finally, we had a movie picked, pop corn was popped, and we were all settled in. I found my eyes drifting upwards towards Hiei's room, wondering why he never wanted to come down and hang out with us. I also remembered I had only had about an hour and a half until it was time for me to leave for my next training session.

I said goodnight to everyone in the house as I ducked out of the movie early, knowing I'd be back after everyone was asleep. Koenma gave me a hug and said goodbye, and I finally left out the backdoor, remembering to put my jacket on over my training clothes. As I made my way out to the training site, all I could think about was my mother's face, her eyes, the way her voice sounded. I almost wished I'd stayed home, this was killing me. I just hoped it wouldn't affect my training with Hiei...

"Hey," I greeted the fire demon as I arrived in the clearing, deep in the forrest. He was standing with his back leaned against a thick tree trunk, and his eyes lifted up to me as I came into view.  
"On time tonight, I see." He greeted me. I nodded. "Let's get to work."  
Hiei and I started with some simple spirit energy channeling. He told me he could tell something was disrupting my focus. I lied, blaming it on lack of sleep, and we kept working.  
"The move I'm about to teach is called the Albatros Flames," Hiei said as we both stood a good distance apart, "It's the last thing I'll teach you, so we can take a few days on it. It will take some time."  
"Okay," I replied simply, just trying to keep my head in the training. Hiei explained to me to focus on my emotions, but channel in on anger, just like before. I closed my eyes and followed his directions, feeling my body start to heat up. "Think of the wings expanding," Hiei said as he described at majestic bird. I tried as hard as I could to feel angry, and for a moment, it worked. I felt the wings of flames branch from my body, becoming more and more powerful, but suddenly, my mother's face appeared in my mind, and I felt my energy spike. I gasped, unable to control it, and it spiraled out, disappearing.  
"Sorry.." I whispered, without looking up at Hiei. "Try again." He replied simply. I closed my eyes and tried to focus, but it felt as if my energy was being sucked from my body, and at a fast rate. The strength completely fled from my mind and body, and I collapsed to my knees. "Not now.." I muttered to myself through clenched teeth as I felt the tears fight me once again. "Not now... not here..."  
I heard Hiei's footsteps inch closer to me. I quickly reached up and wiped my eyes as the tears started to break through.  
"I'm sorry, Hiei," I apologized again as I tried to get up, but I just couldn't, "I don't know why.. I just can't.."  
Hiei stayed silent, and to my suprise, knealt down to my level. I just stared at him for a moment, and he stared back, straight into my eyes.. as if he was looking into my soul. I didn't even notice the flood raging from behind my eyes. I bit my lip and looked down, unable to say anything more. I felt like I wanted to quit, I didn't want Hiei to think I was weak, or wasting his time.  
Then, the unexpected became reality.  
Hiei reached his arm out, placing his hand behind my back, and gently pulled me into his body. My eyes widened, not knowing what exactly was happening... Not to say it didn't feel good, his natural warmth heating my drained and chilled body. He wrapped both his arms around me, placing one hand softly behind my head. I closed my eyes and let my body relax, leaning into him. But I still didn't understand why this was happening or where it was coming from.  
"Sorry is not an option," Hiei's voice broke the air, causing me to open my eyes just slightly, "I know what it's like."  
"What it's like..?" I repeated in confusion.  
"Being seperated from your family unwillingly." Came Hiei's reply, which struck something in my heart.  
"How did you..?" I began to ask, but decided it wasn't important as he squeezed me tighter. I closed my eyes again, tighter this time, letting the tears flow. It was so hard to believe that the grouchy guy I'd met on my first night here was sitting with my body tangled in his arms, comforting me while I cried about my own problems...  
But I absolutely loved it.

_**To be continued...**_


	19. Chapter 19

_**I'm finally back!**_  
_**I'm so so so sorry guys, these last few weeks have been EXTREMELY hectic and I hate to admit that I just completely forgot about this story ):**_  
_**That really upsets me because I feel like the flow in my mind was going so smoothly, but now I've forgotten a lot of the great ideas I had..**_  
_**I know this chapter was short, but I promise to update as often as I possibly can, and I'm rereading everything i've already wrote to try and regain my ideas again(:**_  
_**Please keep your faith in me, I will finish this story one way or another!**_  
_**I absolutely love you all, thank you for supporting my writing(:**_

_**-Hiei's POV-**_

"Hey,"  
Tsukiyo's voice broke me out of my daydreaming state as I stood in the clearing, waiting for her to arrive so we could start our training.  
"On time tonight, I see," I said to her and she just nodded, "Let's get to work."  
Throughout our training session, I could tell something wasn't right with her, something was corrupting her focus. After some simple spirit energy channeling, her focus seemed a little more fine tuned, but something was still a miss. Her smile was gone, her cheerful peppyness and eagerness to learn what I had to teach her. "The move I'm about to teach you is called Albatros Flames," I told her, spacing myself from her to give her enough room, "It's the last thing I'll teach you, so we can take a few days on it. It will take some time."  
"Okay," Her reply was meek, and she waited for me to instruct her. I told her to focus on anger, and to think of a bird's wings expanding. Tsukiyo nodded and I watched as she closed her eyes. I could feel her energy rise, the flaming wings expanding from her body. But suddenly, her energy spiked, and the flames fizzled out.  
"Sorry.." Tsukiyo whispered, but she didn't look up at me. I kept my patience with her.  
"Try again."  
Tsukiyo closed her eyes and tried again. I could tell she was giving it her all, but her energy and focus just wasn't there. It fled from her body, dropping to a dangerously low level. She would be in trouble if this was a real battle. She dropped to her knees, her head hung. She mumbled in a low voice, seeming to scold herself, and her shoulders began to tremble. A soft spot in my heart was struck, and as I began to tread toward her, she quickly reached her arm up and wiped her eyes. She was crying...  
"I'm sorry, Hiei," Tsukiyo mumbled and tried to stand up, but her body was too weak. "I don't know why.. I just can't.."  
I didn't say anything as I knealt down to her level. She looked up at me, her cheeks flushed, and I felt something tear inside my heart as I saw the tears flooding from her beautiful amber colored eyes. Normally I found pleasure and humor in the tears of others, it was somewhat pathetic. But this was so different.. This girl had a strong hold of me, and she didn't even know it. It was killing me to see her like this, and it was toturing the part of me that wanted to remain to myself, feeling nothing for anyone. But I knew that part of me was slowly fading, it was impossible now. Tsukiyo then bit her lip and looked to the ground again. I couldn't take it anymore. I reached my arm out to her, placing my hand behind her back. I pulled her soft, fragile frame against my body. Her skin was cold from the night air, she was shivering a bit. Her body was tense for a moment as I wrapped both my arms around her, warming her, and placing one of my hands gently against the back of her head, tangling my fingers in her silky royal blue hair. After a few moments, Tsukiyo's body relaxed and leaned into mine.  
"Sorry isn't an option," I whispered to her, "I know what it's like."  
"What its like..?" She said, her voice muffled in my shoulder. She sounded a little confused.  
"Being seperated from your family unwillingly," I remembered my mother, who I'd never met.. only heard of, how she committed suicide after banishing me from my home.. No matter, I never wanted to return there, anyway.  
Time seemed to freeze, and it felt so good to be holding Tsukiyo against my chest, like nothing I'd ever felt before. I knew what I wanted so desperatly, it was right here in my arms... but I wasn't sure just how far out of reach it was...

_**-Tsukiyo's POV-**_

After seperating from our strange but comforting embrace, Hiei and I sat in the clearing for a long while, talking. Talking about whatever floated through the paths of our minds, and it was a side of Hiei I'd never seen before. Never thought I would ever see, in all my days. Each of us lay on our backs in the grass, staring up at the dark night sky, sprinkled with stars.  
"So.." I said, to break a quiet pause, "How'd you know why I was so upset...? I mean, about my mom and everything."  
"My window." He replied. I waited for further explaination, but didn't get it.  
"What do you mean, your window?" I asked him in confusion. "I heard you and Koenma talking," Hiei elaborated, "While you were on the porch... you told him you ran into your human mother, but she didn't remember you."  
"Oh.." I replied softly, "Yea.. I'm happy with my new life, grateful and everything.. For my new friends and my real brother.. But sometimes I just miss my old life, especially when I saw her face. It's hard to let go."  
Hiei nodded and his face grew solumn in the pale moonlight.  
"At least you got to know your mother." He said to me in a soft tone, "Even if she wasn't your blood. I never really knew my mother's face."  
I looked over at him, hearing the twinge of sadness in his voice, which was so unlike him. It was a rare moment.  
"She killed herself before I ever found my home village again, before I could see her." Hiei went on, "It was because of the regret she had for what she had done to me." "That's sad.."  
"It's pathetic."  
I felt my stomach twist at his sudden sharp tone. I glanced over at him and I could see how stoney his eyes had become. He continued on.  
"It was her own fault. She didn't have to abandon me the way she did." He paused. "I don't miss her. I don't feel any sympathy her for her ignorance."  
I just looked at him for a moment, and I knew he was lying. Inside I knew it ripped him apart to think about his mother tossing him aside, for whatever reason, and taking her own life. I felt a deep sadness in the pit of my heart for him, and I decided to make a bold move. I hesitated a bit, but I began to scoot a little closer, inch by inch. I saw Hiei's piercing crimson eyes glance at me from the corners, he didn't turn his head. I felt my cheeks flush, but just kept my eyes lowered and went for my goal. Soon, I was right by the warm fire demon's side, my body brushing against his. I rested my head gently on his firm chest, and I felt his body tense ever so slightly. I didn't say a word and just cuddled close to him, sharing his body heat. I could hear his heart pitter-pattering, beating a bit fast at first and then slowing down. I felt my lips curl into the softest of smiles as Hiei's arm found it's way around me. I nuzzled my face into his neck, which was warm and smelled like charred firewood. My stomach fluttered with a thousand butterflies as Hiei began to gently rub his hand up and down my back, and right then I knew exactly what I had been wanting all along... Hiei. I loved Hiei.  
But I couldn't tell him that... Not now. This had to take time.. even though I knew it would drive me crazy. "We should get back to the house.." Hiei whispered and waited for my reply.  
"Not yet.." I whispered back, snuggling closer to him. Hiei didn't say another word, and just tightened his embrace around me. I just wanted this moment to last a life time.  
Maybe two.

_**To be continued...**_


	20. Chapter 20

For the next few days, things were extremely different between Hiei and I, but sort of behind closed doors. When we passed each other in the halls or outside, Hiei would actually flash me the softest of smiles.

Sometimes he would even stop by my room at night to say good night. It was so strange, but yet I loved every second of it. It was like he was a real person now, not just a walking statue around the house... well, at least he was like a real person to me. He continued to snub everyone else in the house.

It may sound conceited, but I felt special that I was the only one he payed close attention to.

On this particular cool fall day, I sat outside on the back porch, strumming chords on my guitar and creating a random but cheerful melody. I hummed along gently, until my peacefulness was interupted abruptly by the sound of Botan's voice singing through the house.

"Tsukiyooo!" Her voice rang out as she flung herself out the back door, letting it clatter shut behind her as she set foot on the porch.

"Hey, Botan," I greeted her with a smile, and then noticed a long, plastic garment bag in her hand. "What's that?"

Her eyes grew brighter as she glanced down at it, then looked back up at me.

"It's a surprise for you!" She said, "Guess where we're all going tonight?"

I set my guitar down and looked at her quizically. I examined the bag with my eyes, took a few wrong guesses, and finally shrugged.

"I give up." I said, putting my hands on my hips. "Where are we going?"

Botan grinned widely as she dramatically unzipped the garment bag, revealing a beautiful kimono. My draw dropped as I looked over its lovely appearence; amazing, silky pink fabric with white tiger lilly designs, and a gorgeous orange sash.

"Oh my god, Botan," I gushed as I gently rubbed the fabric between my fingers. "This kimono is beautiful!"

"I knew you'd like it," Botan giggled, "It was mine, but I only wore it once. I thought it would look so cute on you. It's yours now!"

"What? I couldn't take this from you." I protested.

"Oh nonsense, Tsukiyo, I want you to have it." Botan smiled and placed the kimono in my hands.

I smiled and gave her a hug, thanking her for thinking of me and being so generous.

"Wow," I cooed as I remembered what the kimono was for, "I haven't been to the cherry blossom festival since I was a little girl."

"I'm so excited!" Botan squeeled, "It's going to be so much fun!"

Then, her facial expression switched from excited, to puzzled. Maybe even a little defeated. I asked her what was wrong.

"Oh, well I've got a hakama for Hiei," She began to explain to me, "But I don't think he'll take it. I wanted everyone in the house to enjoy the festival, but I just don't think Hiei will come."

It kind of surprised me that Botan was so genuinely upset about this, but then again, it's Botan we're talking about. I wasn't as worried about it, though. I had a feeling I could easily convince Hiei to come with us, and it was the perfect time for this issue to come up.

"I'll get him to come." I assured Botan, who just blinked at me, looking confused.

"Are you sure, Tsuki..?" She asked me with a raised eyebrow, "How are you going to do that..?"

"I'll just talk to him," I said, waving her concerns away, "Don't worry, he'll come. Where's his hakama? I'll take it to him right now."

"Well... alright, then." Botan shrugged and led me inside, handing me Hiei's hakama which was in its own garment bag. I didn't want to see it yet, I wanted it to be a surprise.

With that, I made my way to Hiei's room, where I knew he was residing. I was pretty confident in my ability to persuade him to come with us tonight, but there was only one way to find out if this would work in my favor.

I reached out, and knocked on Hiei's door.

_**-Hiei's POV-**_

It was dark in my room where I was meditating. I had made sure my curtains were tightly closed, and made it clear to everyone in the house not to disturb me.

I had almost completed my final breathing session when there was a loud knock on my door. I furrowed my brow in frustration, trying to keep a hold of my focus. A few seconds went by, I hoped whoever was knocking had gotten the point and gone away. Another deep, steady breath...

And yet another knock. This time my eyes snapped open, and I let out a loud sigh.

"What?" I growled towards the door, feeling my eye twitch a bit in annoyance.

There was a brief pause before the person on the otherside of the door decided to answer, and my mood changed slightly when I heard her voice.

"It's me, Hiei," it was Tsukiyo.

Calmer now but still a bit frustrated, I stood up off my bed and opened the door for Tsukiyo. She walked inside and sat on my bed, and I looked at her a moment before shutting the door. It was strange how much different our personal relationship had become in the past few days, but something inside me was pleased with it.

"I was in the middle of my meditation, you know," I said to her in a curt tone as I leaned against the door. "I asked not to be disturbed."

"Oh," Her face turned a light shade of pink, "Sorry about that..."

She smiled sheepishly at me, but I didn't reply to her apology. I simply asked what she wanted in the first place, and that's when I noticed she was holding something sheathed inside a plastic bag.

"What is that," I asked her, "And why did you bring it up here?"

"Well," She began to explain something slowly, as if trying to find the right words. I didn't like the way this was going, "All of us are going somewhere tonight... and I wanted you to come. Everyone wants you to come."

I raised my eyebrow at her in a quizzical manner. I crossed my arms over my chest, still leaning against my door.

"Are you going to tell me where," I asked her, "Or are you going to dance around the subject all day?"

That seemed to take her by surprise, and she blinked a few times before fumbling with her words. I had to fight back a smirk of amusement.

"It's the cherry blossom festival.." She informed me slowly, "And the hakama you're going to wear is in this bag."

She smiled hopefully at me as she held the bag out to me. I just stared her down, feeling my eyes narrow. Tsukiyo blinked a few times, and out stretched her arms a bit more, as if she was desperate for me to take it.

"I am not attending that ridiculous festival," I barked at her, walking over to my closet and derobing from my cloak, "So you might as well take that garment back to where it came from."

She dropped her arms down in disappointment, and her eyes grew large. She stuck her bottom lip out and pouted at me. I raised my eyebrow.

"Pleeeaaase, Hiei.." She began to plead softly, "It'll be funnnn..!"

"No," I stood firm, hanging my cloak in my closet and turning to face her, "I refuse to take part in this nonsense."

Tsukiyo didn't give up, no matter how many times I told her no, she would only pout more, and plead harder.

"Please, please, please, please..." She begged me, "I swear I'll never ask you to do anything again, but pleaseeee come with us Hieiiiii!"

Finally I had had enough of her whining and begging, and in all honesty her pouty lips and huge, sad eyes had gotten to me... I was becoming weak, just like all the mortals. But I just couldn't help myself, I had to give in to her.

"Alright!" I snapped over her millionth attempt to get me to accompany her and the rest of our housemates at the pathetic event, "I'll go, just shut your trap and quit your whining."

A huge, glowing smile spread across Tsukiyo's face, and she jumped up, throwing her arms around me, which caught me off guard. So much so that I didn't hug back. She pulled herself away from me, still smiling. I felt my cheeks grow warm and hoped she didn't notice.

"Really?" Tsukiyo squealed, "Yay! Thank you, Hiei, it'll be a blast! I promise."

"Whatever," I muttered to her, "Just give me that damn thing."

I took the garment bag from her hands.

"I'll go tell Botan!" Tsukiyo giggled as she made her way to my door, and then turned to face me once more, "Be ready by about... let's say six-ish?"

I didn't reply, only shot the blue haired girl a sharp glance. She only smiled, then let herself out of my room, shutting the door softly behind her.

I knew I would regret this, but I also knew I could never say no to that face.

_**-Tsukiyo's POV-**_

6:00 rolled around, and everyone was downstairs dressed in the kimonos and hikamas, including Jin who had, of course, wanted to come with us. Well, everyone was downstairs except Hiei.

"I still can't believe you got him to come," Keiko told me in disbelief as she tied her hair into two cute, low pigtails.

"Yea," I said with a bit of a chuckle, "I had to do quite a bit of begging, but he finally said yes."

"You're amazing, Tsuki." Botan said with a shake of her head, and Kurama agreed.

"None of us could ever get Hiei to do anything. Ever." He said, seeming to try and think of a time where someone had convinced Hiei to leave the house.

"I guess I'm just annoying," I joked with a giggle.

"I think it's something else..." Yukina said softly, a smile on her face. I blinked at her, but before I could question her comment, I heard Hiei's door open and close rather loudly.

"Let's see what your Hikama looks like, Hiei!" I called up the stairs eagerly. No response.

"C'mon Hiei!" Kuwabara barked after me, "I wanna be first in line for cotton candy!"

We waited for a moment, but heard nothing but footsteps. Finally, Hiei's frame came into view. Hiei came down the stairs wearing a black and blue hakama, with a few white accents. He had an aggravated look on his face.

"You look nice, Hiei," Keiko commented with a sincere smile.

"Hn," Hiei grunted a response as he turned his attention away from the rest of us.

"It's true, you look quite dashing, lad!" Jin agreed. Hiei still said nothing.

"Can we get a move on?" Yusuke demanded anxiously, "I'm starving! Can't wait to get my hands on a corndog."

"I'm sure you can't, Urameshi.." Kuwabara joked with a snicker, only earning himself a smack in the back of the head from Yusuke.

"Well, I agree, let's get going!" Botan squealed, pushing everyone towards the front door. "We don't want to miss any of the excitement!"

And so we were off, all in two seperate cars. It took about fifteen minutes to get to the festival, and the whole way there I had to listen to Yusuke and Kuwabara intensely debate in who would beat who at the Samurai Foam Pit. How I got stuck in the car with the two of them was beyond me.

Finally, we reached our destination. All of us girls cooed and pointed at how pretty the colorful paper lanturns hanging in the trees were. The boys, minus Kurama and Hiei, continued to bicker and brag about who was best at every physical game, and proceeded to make bets and challenges.

"Oh yea?" Kuwabara's voice was loudest now, "Let's have a race over to the Samurai Foam Pit, then we'll really see who's the bigger man!"

"Alright, you're on!" Yusuke agreed with an eager glint in his eye.

"Count me in!" Jin joined the bandwagon with an evil smirk.

With that, the three of them darted off into the festival, leaving a trail of dust behind them. Who knew when we would see them again.

The rest of us then looked at each other, shrugged, and made our way into the sea of lighted tables and displays, games, and rides.

"This place is amazing," I sighed as I looked at all the beautiful decorations, "And the cherry blossoms or so gorgeous."

"I know, it's so peaceful here." Yukina agreed as she smiled.

"Ohhh, Kurama," Botan suddenly cooed as she saw something that interested her, "Look at that beautiful flower stand!"

She proceeded to pull herself and Kurama away from the group, and over to a large display of flowers for sale. I watched as Botan sweetly pointed at the colorful flowers, and as Kurama smiled warmly at her. They were adorable, whether they realized they loved each other or not.

"I guess we're going on with them," Keiko said with a smile, "They're so cute!"

Yukina and I agreed, but Hiei stayed silent, knowing he was stuck with Keiko, Yukina and I.

The four of us walked around a bit more, checking out a few displays, when Keiko and Yukina saw a game involving darts and balloons.

"Oh, that puppy stuffed animal is adorable!" Keiko squeeled as she saw it, and Yukina eagerly agreed with her.

"It's only two dollars to play," Yukina pointed out, "Would you like to?"

"Of course!" Keiko complied, and the two of them raced over to the game, forgettin that Hiei and I were still standing there.

There was a moment of silence between us, before Hiei spoke up.

"I can't believe you convinced me to come to this wretched place," He grumbled as he watched all the giddy people bustle around the festival in their kimonos and hamakas.

"Oh, come on, Hiei," I protested with a warm smile, "It's fun! Come on, let's go this way."

He sighed as I led him down a path we hadn't taken before, full of games and food stands. Small childed darted past us, holding lollipops and small toys. Their giggles soon faded into the noise of the crowd.

"Do you want to play a game, Hiei?" I asked him.

"No," He flatly retorted, "Games are childish."

"What about riding some rides?"

He just gave me a sharp look, that I knew to take as a no. I bit the inside of my cheek, I was running out of ideas. Then I spotted something that I used to love as a little girl.

"Oh, look!" I yelped as I pointed to the tent it was held under, "The Godfish Scoop!"

"What?" Hiei asked, as if I'd just spoken to him in a foreign language.

"The Goldfish Scoop," I repeated myself, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him towards the tent, "You get three tries to catch a goldfish with a paper paddle. I always loved it when I was little."

When we reached the tent, I payed the man running the game a dollar to play. I turned and asked Hiei if he wanted to play, too.

"Do you remember when I told you games are childish?" He snapped at me, "I haven't changed my opinion."

"Just once? I'll give you one of my paddles." I offered him with a sweet smile, and finally he gave in, sighing and rolling his eyes a bit.

"Fine." He grunted, and then watched as I easily bent down, and popped a tiny goldfish into a cup with my paper paddle before it got wet enough to break.

I watched as the man running the game quickly placed the fish into a small bag of water, tied it, and handed it to me.

"Here you are, miss." The man said as he handed me the bag, bowing to me in a polite manner.

I returned the gesture, and knelt down to a little boy on my left side who had watched me catch the fish.

"Here," I said to him with a kind, friendly smile, "I bet you could give this fishy a great home."

He smiled at me and his eyes got wide, as he looked up at his mother who was holding his hand.

"Can I, mommy?" He asked in a hopefull tone.

His mother smiled and gave him permission to take the fish, thanking me as I stood up. I smiled and told her it was no problem. I then looked over at Hiei, and realized he hadn't used his paddle yet.

"Go on, Hiei," I said to him as I leaned over the water to watch him, "Try it."

The fire demon said nothing as he approached the tank of water, slowly dipping his paddle into it. He came up next to a fish, and tried to push it into the small cup, but its weight tore through the paper. Spooked, the goldfish swam away to an opposite corner of the tank. Hiei furrowed his brow as I payed for another paddle and handed it to him.

"I don't want to try again, Tsukiyo." He informed me sharply.

"Calm down, just try again. Here." I replied, taking a hold of the hand with the paddle in it, and then putting another hand softly on his back near his shoulder blade.

This seemed to take him by surprise a little bit, but I just ignored it and continued what I was doing.

"See, the trick is to wait for the perfect time," I spoke softly, "get right behind him, and... pop it really quick before the paper gets too wet."

As I spoke my instructions, I flipped the paddle against the fish and it bounced into the cup. The man working the game repeated the bagging process with the fish, who I donated to another excited child with an approving parent.

"See?" I said, "Easy, huh?"

For a moment, Hiei didn't respond. He just stared at me, his crimson colored eyes unusually soft. It seemed as though he was deep in thought about something.

"Is something wrong, Hiei..?" I asked him curiously.

_**-Hiei's POV-**_

"I don't want to try again, Tsukiyo." I told the amber eyed girl I was with as she handed me another wretched paddle.

"Calm down, just try again. Here." She replied to me, moving closer. I was caught off guard as she placed her soft, warm hand on mine, and felt the other place itself on my back.

She seemed not to notice my surprise and continued to guide my hand into the water. Her head found a convinient resting place near my shoulder, and I felt my heart rate speed up just the slightest back.

Tsukiyo began to speak again, her voice soft and gentle.

"See, the trick is to wait for the perfect time," She steadied my hand, "Get right behind him, and... pop it really quick before te paper gets too wet."

She flicked my wrist, and sure enough the fish was flung from the water and into the small plastic cup. Once it was placed inside a plastic bag full of water, Tsukiyo gave the useless creature away to a ningen child, who seemed very pleased.

When Tsukiyo turned to me and smiled, I found myself unable to look away from her face... It was beautiful, illuminated in the soft orange lights that the paper lanturns emitted. I saw her expression change to a look of concern.

"Is something wrong, Hiei..?" She asked me, her voice sincere.

I had to snap myself out of the trance she had put me in.

"No, nothing's wrong." I assured her as I switched back to my normal persona. She nodded and asked me if I was sure. I nodded.

"Oh, okay." She said, regaining her smile, "Just making sure."

For a while longer, Tsukiyo and I continued to walk around the noisy festival, playing games she wanted to play, and so on.

Through that hour we spent together at the festival, watching her smile and laugh as we played those childish games, I felt my will power weakening dramatically. Everytime she spoke, I just wanted to pull her into my arms and never let go.

Everytime she smiled, I just wanted to kiss her.

Everytime she laughed... I just wanted to tell her I loved her...

_*That's it,* _I thought to myself,_ *I can't take this anymore. I must say something... tonight.*_

_**- Tsukiyo's POV-**_

"I think that one was the best yet," I giggled as Hiei and I walked away from a hoola hooping game. We hadn't won, but we'd come awful close.

"Hn." Hiei typically grunted back, placing his hands in the pockets of his hakama.

"So what do you want to do now, Hiei?" I asked as I strolled calmly next to him.

I looked over at him, and he seemed to be lost in thought again, like he was debating something inside his head. Finally, he looked at me and spoke.

"Actually, Tsukiyo..." He began in a strangely nervous tone, "I wanted to talk to you... privately. Away from all this irritating noise." He motioned to the crowd of people and the nosies from the games.

I blinked at him a few times, a little confused at what exactly he meant.

"Talk to me?" I repeated stupidly. I just didn't get it, really.

"Yes." Hiei said, seeming to get a little aggitated. "It's urgent."

"Oh... well, okay.." I agreed, watching him walk past me, "There's nothing wrong, is there?"

"Just follow me, onna." Hiei replied while barely looking over his shoulder.

I furrowed my brow; he was calling me onna again. But, with a small sigh, I disregarded it and followed him like he asked.

After walking for three minutes or so, Hiei led me to a spot beneath the cherry blossom trees, a bit away from the festival. The noise was faint, but I could still see the lights illuminating the sky.

It was actually quite peaceful in this area. The almost full moon beamed its light down upon us softly, and beside us there was a small, gentle stream. It trickled cheerfully with its flowing current.

"So," I said as I leaned against one of the tree trunks, "What'd you need to talk to me about?"

"I don't know," Hiei muttered as he turned his back to me, staring up at the moon. He pushed his hands into his pockets.

There was a slight pause before I spoke again.

"You don't know..?" I repeated him slowly, "I don't understand..."

"I just..." Hiei began talking after a moment, his voice very soft. He looked down at the ground, "... Don't know how to tell you."

"Is it something... bad?" I wondered, starting to get a little worried.

"I'm not sure." Hiei replied, looking at me over his shoulder. His ruby red eyes glinted in the pale moonlight.

"If you're not sure, I'll be the judge." I said with a soothing smile, "Just tell me."

Hiei then turned to face me, his eyes still piercing. He took a deep breath, then exhaled.

"I'm not sure how you're going to take it.." Was his next comment.

I sighed, and put my hands on my hips. I was the one getting a bit frustrated, this time.

"Oh, come on, Hiei," I started to blabber, "Just tell me. I promise I won't take anything the wrong way, I mean you brought me all the way out here so just-"

I was cut off as Hiei quickly walked over to me, his body so very close to mine. I found myself looking up into his hypnotizing eyes, since he stood about two and a half inches taller than me. I could feel his breath against my face, and the heat of his body warming me from the chill in the air.

"Hiei.." I began to speak, but he softly interupted me.

"Fine," He moved in closer, gently pressing his body against mine, causing me to lean against the tree trunk. "I'll tell you.."

My cheeks burned as Hiei slowly reached up, sliding his fingers across my forehead to move a few stray hairs away from my face. He tucked them behind my ear, then placed his hand gently at the base of my neck, staring into my eyes and stroking my skin with his thumb.

He slowly ran his hand down my other arm, interlacing his fingers with mine. I could already feel my heart racing, as if I'd just ran five miles.

Finally, Hiei's face began to slowly inch closer to mine, and I felt my eyes instinctively close...

His lips met mine, and we melted together in a soft but passionate kiss. I couldn't believe it was happening, and my body stiffened for a moment.

That gesture didn't last long, though. Within seconds my muscles relaxed, and I leaned into Hiei's body, placing my free hand on the back of his neck. The kiss grew deeper, and finally, we parted, and Hiei rested his forehead on mine.

"I love you.." He said to me, barely above a whisper.

I felt goosebumps rise all over my body, and my stomach flipped and jumped. My lips curved into smile, and I rested my head in the crook of his beck, taking in his scent.

"I... I love you, too, Hiei.." I heard myself whisper in response.

_**To be continued...**_


	21. Chapter 21

For a while, Hiei and I stood silent, leaning against each other in the calmness under the cherry blossom trees. I had so many questions, but I felt that it wasn't the time or place for them.

"So..." I decided to ask one of my questions at that moment, "Does this mean we're... you know... together?"

Hiei seemed a bit taken aback by this question, becoming tounge tied for a few seconds. His cheeks turned an adorable shade of rosie red.

"I don't know, the thought never came to mind," He replied, but then paused, "...Is that what you want, Tsukiyo?"

This time I felt my own cheeks warm and blush as Hiei gazed into my eyes, awaiting my answer. I dropped my gaze to the ground and fidgetted with a loose thread on the breast of Hiei's hakama.

"Well..." I took a bashful glance up at him, "...yes."

I felt my stomach jump as I realized what I had just admitted. I was nervous, but at the same time I felt relieved to have it off my chest and out in the open.

Hiei's eyes became soft as he gently took my chin between his tumb and index finger, tilting my face up slightly towards his. He planted another soft kiss on my lips, causing me to smile and my heart to jump.

"Then that's what we will be." Hiei said in a comforting tone, but suddenly his expression dropped back to serious and somewhat piercing, "But this is not to be the topic of discussion in the house. I don't want those blubbering idiots knowing every inch of our business."

"No, no, of course not." I agreed with him reassuringly.

He peered at me, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"I mean it, Tsukiyo." He said to me sharply, "No one is to know about this... not yet. Not even the girls. I know the four of you chatter and cluck about like a bunch of hens."

I blinked at him for a moment.

"That's probably one of the weirdest analogies I've ever heard."

"Tsukiyo."

I giggled at the sternness in his voice.

"Come on, Hiei, don't worry. I won't tell anyone." I reassured my new boyfriend, "We can both tell everyone when the time's right."

Hiei nodded in agreement, then took a glance at the festival, visible from a distance away.

"We should probably get back," I suggested as I turned my head to look in the same direction that Hiei was focused on. "Just in case anyone's looking for us."

Hiei agreed, and we began walking back towards the lights and cheerful sounds of the festival.

Out of the corner of my eye, I stole a glance at Hiei, who's eyes were fixated on our destination.

I felt a small smile creep across my lips as I made a brave move, sneaking my hand close to Hiei's, and laced my fingers between his.

His ruby red gaze quickly snapped to mine of glistening gold. I just tightened my grip on his hand and fed him a loving smile. To my great pleasure, he mimiced my exact same smile. I would have never expected this moment to take place, and I was extremely happy.

To my disappointment, we dropped hands as we reached the cherry blossom festival again, pretending that everything was just the way it was an hour ago.

"I wonder where everyone is?" I said allowed, glancing around through the crowds of joyful people.

"Hn." Hiei grunted in response as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Who cares. Undoubtably making fools of themselves around here somewhere."

I ignored his sour comment, knowing by now that it was just Hiei being Hiei.

The two of us continued to wander the festival, and I would pull Hiei into a display or game every now and then, mostly against his will.

"Oh, ice cream!" I yipped in excitement as I noticed the cute little ice cream stand, "That sounds so good. Do you want an ice cream, Hiei?"

"No." He replied flatly as he followed me into the short line, "I've never taken part in eating that disgusting ninjen food, and I don't plan to start now."

My jaw dropped as I turned to face him.

"What?" I screeched, "You've never had ice cream?"

Hiei shook his head with a flat expression on his face.

"Then how do you know it's disgusting?"

"I don't care to find out." Hiei informed me as we moved up in line, "The fox always buys it, but I've never given it so much as a second glance."

I shook my head as I turned and faced forward in line. The woman in front of us had just placed a small order for a simple vanilla cone, so it would be our turn soon.

"You're crazy," I told Hiei, "I'll change your mind."

Before he could protest, it was my turn to order .I asked for a medium chocolate ice cream in a cup.

"Thank you," I said to the woman working the stand as I was handed my order.

I payed the woman, and led Hiei to a cluster of tables near the ice cream stand.

I dug my spon into the creamy treat, pulled it out, and held it out to Hiei.

"Here," I said, "Have the first bite."

Hiei gave me a stern look, his brow furrowed.

"I don't want it." He told me seriously as he looked away, uninterested.

"Pleeeease?"

"No."

"Come on."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No!"

"Please?"

At this point, Hiei snapped his eyes back over to me, looking annoyed.

"Fine," He growled at me, "If I eat the ice cream, will you stop nagging me?"

"Mhm," I said with a smile and a nod, allowing Hiei to take the spoon from my hand.

He gazed at the melty spoonful of chocolate ice cream, looking disgusted with himself. He then glanced back up at my eager face, and I urged him to try it.

Finally, he sighed, and slid the spoon into his mouth. Almost instantly, his expression changed. His eyes grew a little wider, and he actually looked a little shocked.

This caused my to grin slyly as I took the spoon back.

"See? Not so disgusting after all, huh?" I took a spoonful for myself, "I knew you'd like it."

Hiei opened his mouth to protest, but zipped his lips shut when he realized he had no arguement, and that I was right. He looked the other way and let out a huff.

I was amazed that I had actually rendered the stubborn fire demon speechless. But, I decided not to rub it in, and just smiled to myself.

I scooped out another bite and held it out to Hiei.

He peered at it out of the corner of his eye. He seemed to debate whether to take it or not. Fianlly, he gave in, and snatched the spoon from my hand. I smiled approvingly.

"Well, Hiei, I'm glad you've had a change of heart." I told him.

"I hate you." Hiei grumbled while popping the spoon into his mouth.

"No, you don't." I countered him.

He looked me in the eye as he handed me the spoon back.

"I know." He admitted softly, his eyes still locked on mine.

I just smiled as I scooped myself another bite of ice cream.

After about ten minutes of alternating bites between us, the cup was empty, and we each stood up from the table.

I tossed the cup and spoon in the garbage, and Hiei and I merged back into the crowd of people.

Just in time, too.

"Hiei!" A voice projected itself over the dull roar of the crowd, "Tsukiyo!"

I turned to see Kuwabara racing up to us, waving his arm in the air. His face was painted like a tiger's, and ontop of his head was a strange hat made from balloons. In the arm he wasn't using to wave us down with was a large stuffed alligator.

"Wow," I said as Kuwabara screeched to a halt in front of us, "Looks like you've been pretty busy, huh?"

"Hell yea!" Kuwabara exclaimed, curling his fingers into fists, "I beat both their asses at every game!"

I tried to stiffle a laugh at his tiger face paint, and asked a question to distract myself.

"Yusuke and Jin?" I asked and Kuwabara nodded, "Where are they?"

There was a pause as Kuwabara stared blankly at me, contemplating my question. He then turned to see if they were following him through the crowd, which they were not.

"Well, I thought they were right behind me..." He muttered as he scratched his head, dodging the balloon hat.

I sighed, knowing now we were on the hunt for Yusuke and Jin.

"KUWABARA!" a second voice yelled above the noise.

Maybe not.

At that moment, Yusuke and Jin emerged from the crowd, and walked up to us. Both of their faces were painted, Yusuke's like a skull, and Jin's like a member of KISS.

"There you guys are," I said, but they each ignored my statement.

"What the hell, Kuwabara?" Yusuke demanded, "Why'd you take off and leave us at the face painting stand?"

"I thought you guys were right behind me!" Kuwabara defended himself.

"Jin was in the middle of getting his face painted," Yusuke countered, gesturing to Jin who simply nodded, "They barely had the black star on his eye filled in!"

"Well I guess that explains why you weren't answering back when I was yelling at you guys to run faster..." Kuwabara muttered as he scrached the back of his head sheepishly.

"Hn. Imbecile." Hiei grumbled, causing Kuwabara to glare at him fiercly.

"What'd you say, half pint?" He snapped at him.

"You're an idiot, but I know you're not deaf." Hiei countered.

Kuwabara began to make an attempt at a comeback, but I stepped in and held both my hands up.

"Hey!" I shouted to get their attention, but then lowered my hands and spoke calmly, "Don't start fighting. We just need to find the rest of the group, and get home pretty soon. I don't know about you guys, but I'm completely exhausted."

"Yea, I am pretty tired." Yusuke agreed as he stretched.

"I second that, lad," Jin said as he stifled a yawn.

With that, each of us walked the festival together, talking and laughing, as well as me trying to keep Hiei and Kuwabara on civil terms and away from each other's throats.

Finally, I caught sight of Yukina and Keiko, sharing a bag of cotton candy with Kurama and Botan... who were holding hands.

"Hey, you guys!" I called out to them, cupping my hands around my mouth.

"Hey!" They all called back in unison, waving and smilling.

"Whoa!" Kuwabara blabbed as he pointed at Kurama and Botan's interlaced fingers. "So are you guys like, a thing now?"

"Yes, Kuwabara," Kurama replied calmly with his usual warm smile.

"Since when?" Kuwabara demanded.

"Oh, come on, Kuwabara," Keiko sighed as she rolled her eyes, "You couldn't tell that they've obviously loved each other since day one?" She grinned at Botan, who blushed.

"Was it really that obvious?" She asked innocently.

"Yep." I replied simply, causing everyone to laugh.

Finally, we headed out to our two seperate cars, and headed back to the house.

"I'm beat!" Jin cried out as we reached home after a sleepy drive, "Do any of you mind if I crash on your sofa?"

Mixed replies came to him encouraging him to stay, and he smiled and thanked us kindly. Keiko ran to get him a pillow and a blanket.

"Well, goodnight everyone." I said as I headed upstairs to take a shower.

I made it as quick as possible, popping in and out of the hot water, and by the time I was in my room and dressed in my pajamas, it was around midnight. The house was calm and everyone was asleep.

Suddenly, as I was placing a few clean shirts in my closet, there was a soft knock on my door.

I felt my stomach flutter, having a feeling I already knew who was on the other side.

I quietly made my way to the door, and slowly opened it, trying to stay silent.

Just as I'd thought, Hiei stood on the other side of the door. He was shirtless, wearing a pair of black pajama pants. It was so hard to keep myself from staring at his amazingly built torso and arms.

"Hey.." I whispered, smiling softly. I was thankful for the darkness that conceled the redness of my cheeks.

"I came to say goodnight." Hiei whispered back, placing his hands in the pockets of his pajama pants.

I smiled even wider, stepping aside so he could come into my room.

Hiei stood still for a moment, staring into my room then shifting his calm eyes over to me. He seemed a little hesitant.

"Come in," I spoke softly and encouragingly, motioning for him to come inside.

After a moment, he finally took the few steps into my room and I closed the door softly behind him. I leaned against the door and watched Hiei for a moment.

He peered around my room, taking in the furniture and other things. He made his way to my bed and sat down, and his crimson red eyes pierced through me. The moonlight shone through my window where the curtains were agape, illuminating all of his features.

Hiei smirked a bit as he realized my staring, and I felt my heart jump.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare at me all night," He asked in a soft, sexy tone, "Or are you going to come over here and let me give you a good night kiss..?"

For a moment, I was speechless. It seemed like Hiei was really warming up, more than I'd ever thought he would. It was like he didn't care wether he showed his true feelings or not... and that couldn't have made me happier.

"Well..." I began to reply as I pretended to ponder, "That's a tough decision.." I flashed him a smile.

His smirk grew wider, and he motioned me over to him.

My feet made a soft patting sound as I made my way across my room and over to my bed, and stopped right in front of Hiei.

I looked at him as I bashfully tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

Hiei seemed to be taking in the sights of my body in my pajamas, but was trying to be subtle about it. I just smiled, and his eyes snapped back to mine.

Slowly, he reached his hand towards mine, and he pulled me onto my bed, his other hand softly resting on my waist.

There was a pause, and I patiently waited for Hiei to press his lips against mine, bidding me farewell until morning. My stomach was fluttering with anticipation.

Instead, Hiei glanced over at my pillows, then locked eyes with me once more.

"Lay down," He said softly as he nodded his head toward my pillows.

I blinked but obeyed his request, laying back against my pillows. The smooth coolness of the pillow case against the back of my neck caused goose bumps to rise all over my body.

I merely watched as Hiei layed down next to me, closest to the door. He propped himself up on one eldbow, his head resting in his hand.

The moon light peering through my curtains illuminated him just perfectly.

His crimson eyes fell soft as he glanced down at me, and I stared back up at him; I could hear his soft breaths in the calm silence of my room.

It felt like time was standing still around us as Hiei slowly reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. He trailed his hand from my ear to my cheek, and placed his thumb over my lips, softly caressing them.

It was still so hard to believe that this hard headed, stubborn, and even sometimes mean fire demon that I'd been teetering back on forth with on the tolerance see-saw ever since I moved in this house was being so tender towards me.

I drew in a breath, about to ask what was taking Hiei so long to hold up on his end of the deal, but just as I was about to speak, he leaned down and closed the distance between us.

His soft, warm lips drew the breath right out of me, and all I could do was sink into that blissful feeling. I closed my eyes, allowing my body to melt, deepening the perfect good night kiss.

The kiss seemed to last for a good while, but at the same time felt cut short when Hiei pulled away... This feeling was so new and wonderful, I never wanted it to end. I could stay lip locked with Hiei until the morning sun showed its warm, cheerful face.

I smiled up at the handsome demon on on my bed. His cheeks glowed pink.

"Hiei," I whispered, my soft voice breaking the silence, "You're blushing.."

For a moment his eyes widened, but he seemed to gain control of his emotions in mere seconds, his face falling stoney and flat.

"Hn.." Was all he could manage to reply with, causing me to giggle.

"What are you-" Hiei began to ask in a somewhat sharp tone, but I didn't let him finish his sentence.

"Its kinda cold in here.." I said as goosebumps rose across my skin.

"Get under the covers then," Hiei said, begining to sit up so he could pull the covers back, but yet again I stopped him.

I scooted across the bed, drawing myself closer to Hiei's shirtless body. I snuggled up against his warm, bare skin, and I could feel his body tense up as I touched him.

"Mmm.. You're warm." I muttered into his chest, snuggling a little closer.

At this point, Hiei's body relaxed. I could hear his heart beat slowing, and his breathing become calmer.

To my slight surprise, I felt Hiei's arm snake around my waist, pulling me even closer, as close as I could possibly get.

His body heat melted into my skin like a warm electric blanket, and as I buried my face in Hiei's strong neck, I could smell charred wood... At that moment, I felt so relaxed, as if everything I'd ever needed to feel complete and at ease was right here.

We lay there in silence for a good three or four minutes, just soaking each other in. Hiei's hand tenderly wandered up and down my back, tracing my curves. It was enough to make my eyelids droop.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this.." Hiei whispered into my ear suddenly.

"Waited for what?" I asked him, whispering just as softly.

Hiei paused for a moment, as if struggling for the other words to say. I could hear his heart beat speed up yet again... He was nervous.

"It's okay," I whispered with a self contained smile, "You can tell me."

"... To hold you.." Hiei's voice was barely audible, but he spoke so gingerly I was caught off guard.

My heart pattered a bit faster, and I felt my face flush.

"Really..?" I asked, turning my face to look up at him.

He glanced down at me, moving back just a little bit so he could make eye contact with me.

"Yes.." He replied, turning his gaze out my window. He then closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.

When he opened his eyes again, it was like I was seeing them for the first time... They seemed to glow in the pale moonlight, like the smoldering remains of a campfire.

"I've never been interested in... love," Hiei began to explain, seeming to have trouble talking about this subject, "In all my years of existance, I have not once crossed a female that I'd felt even remotely drawn to, not even during those times in which demons are in heat to mate."

I blushed deeply at this statement, but stayed quiet so Hiei could finish what he was telling me.

"In all honesty, I never really cared to give any other being so much as a second glance..." Hiei paused again, those beautiful eyes becoming soft once more, "Until you arrived here."

I smiled at this new information, remembering the night I'd first met Hiei.

"You really acted like you hated me there for a while." I stated, trailing my fingertips up Hiei's strong arm.

"I did at first," Hiei replied with the smallest of smirks, then turned to stare at the ceiling "But... let's just say you grew on me... I would always find myself thinking of your face, your smile... Even when I didn't want to.."

He then glanced over at my face, and I was staring up into his eyes, engaged in his story.

"You liiiiiked me.." I teased him, throwing him off guard, "You really liiiiked me!" I poked him in the ribs.

Hiei scowled and swatted my hand. I giggled.

I noticed him glancing at the clock, it was now about 12:45.

He turned his gaze back towards me.

"I've let time slip through my fingers," He said to me, "I need to get back to my room."

He sat up on my bed. I sat up beside him, making a sad, pouty face.

"I don't want you to go.." I cooed in a sad puppy dog voice.

"I'm only down the hall," Hiei assured me, "Only until morning."

"But-" I began to say, but I was cut off.

Hiei hushed me by gently grabbing my upper arms, and capturing my lips with his.

He gave me a few long but soft kisses, and finally pulled away, his face inches from mine... leaving me breathless.

"Goodnight.." He whispered, giving me chills.

"Goodnight.." I replied, a sleepy love struck smile covering my face.

Hiei leaned in a bit closer, placing his lips to my ear.

"I love you... sweet angel.."

to be continued...


	22. Chapter 22

_The night sky was blood red. The air was thick, suffocating..._

_As I looked up, I could see a portal tear the sky open, a gaping black hole._

_Hideous demons fled from that portal, drooling and grinning, flashing their sharp, disgusting yellow teeth._

_As well as the demons, a sort of lightning flashed from inside the portal, seeming to reach down just inches above the earth._

_Around me, I could see Yusuke... Kurama... Kuwabara...They were all shouting back and forth to each other, but I could hear nothing, absolutely nothing, like my whole world was on mute._

_The boys drew their weapons of choice; rose whip, spirit gun, and spirit sword; and took a fighting stance. They were all here, but someone was missing. Where was-_

_"Don't you fucking touch her!"_

_A voice rang out, shattering the silence. I knew that voice, but why couldn't I place it?_

_I was about to turn to search for the source, when I was grabbed from behind in a pair of crushing arms. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't move._

_"TSUKIYO!"_

_That voice again..._

...

My body jolted upward, and suddenly I was back in my bed, safe from the demons.

My breath was short, as if I had just ran a marathon.

"That dream again..." I whispered to myself, placing my hand on my forehead, "It seems so real..."

I rubbed my eyes and turned my head towards my window; the morning sunshine shone through my curtains in thin ribbons of gold.

Trying to forget about my now recurring dream, I swung my legs over the side of the bed, taking a glance at the clock; 8:07 AM.

With a quick, much needed stretch, I made my way to my closet to grab my outfit for the day. Since it was starting to get chilly outside, I just grabbed a pair of light colored jeans and the first long sleaved shirt I saw, a loosely fitting gray one with a black star on the front.

I made my way down the hallway, ducking into the bathroom to take a shower. Luckily, no one was in it.

I showered quickly, trying to save hot water, and towel dried my hair. After brushing my teeth, I got dressed, and I could smell breakfast cooking downstairs.

I inhaled deeply, my stomach growling as I opened the bathroom door.

As I neared the bottom of the stairs, the smell of the food cooking grew stronger, and I could hear voices chattering back and forth.

"Good morning, Tsuki!" I heard a duo of voices greet me from my left.

I turned and smiled, seeing Keiko and Yukina sitting in the brightly lit main room, watching an early morning talk show. The woman on the show had a very cute celebrity guest who was talking about his role in a new movie coming out in a few weeks.

"Morning!" I greeted them cheerfully, giving a little wave and a bright smile.

In the kitchen, Kurama was helping Botan flip pancakes. They were each wearing aprons, and Botan looked a little flustered, powdered pancake mix dusted across her nose and and lightly in her bangs.

Next to them was a plate of pancake duds, some burned, some torn, some looking a little pale and underdone.

"That's it," Kurama eased Botan into flipping another pancake, and she positioned her hand carefully on the spatula.

"Oooh, I hope I don't ruin this one," Botan cringed as she flipped the pancake, which landed neatly on the other side, the top a lovely golden brown. "I did it!"

Botan turned to Kurama, her eyes bright and cheerful, and he chuckled.

"You did wonderful, my love." He complimented her as he gently dusted the pancake powder from her face and hair.

"Awwww," I cooed as I walked into the kitchen, "What a cute couple!"

Botan peeked around her boyfriend and smiled at me. Kurama looked over his shoulder, and mimiced Botan's toothy grin.

"Oh, hello Tsukiyo." Kurama greeted me in his usual soft, soothing voice, "Good morning."

"Good morning, Tsuki!" Botan chimed in, turning back to the pancakes. She was determined to produce another perfect cake.

"Morning guys," I replied, pouring myself a glass of orange juice, "Just getting some OJ, and I'll leave you two love birds alone."

I winked at them jokingly, causing Botan to giggle and Kurama to smile and blush as I exited the kitchen, taking a seat in the main room with Keiko and Yukina. The talk show was now drawing to a close, and Keiko was searching for something else to watch on the TV guide.

"Are Yusuke and Kuwabara still asleep?" I asked as I took a sip of my orange juice. I pulled my knees up to my chest, snuggling into the arm chair I had taken a seat in.

I heard Keiko sigh from her seat on the couch.

"Of course they are," She replied, flipping through the channels, "But you know as soon as they hear dishes hitting the table, they'll be wide awake and down here in twenty seconds."

Yukina giggled at this comment, and Keiko smiled. Finally, she chose a family sitcom to settle on watching.

Just then, I heard the boy's bathroom door swing open, a loud voice singing out a very jolly sounding song.

Just a few short seconds later, Jin came waltzing down the stairs, a towel drapped around his shoulder. His thick red hair was damp.

"Top o' the mornin, everyone!" Jin bellowed out to us. We all bid him good morning, and he bounded over to me, high fiving Keiko and Yukina on the way.

The arm chair I was sitting in was fairly roomy, so Jin squeezed in next to me, causing me to chuckle lightly.

"Well, someone's a morning person, huh?" I joked, raising an eyebrow at the Irish wind demon.

"Of course, pop tart," Jin exclaimed, ruffling my hair, "But then again, I'm an every time of day type of person." He winked at me playfully, and I laughed.

Keiko, Yukina, Jin and I got through watching about three quarters of the sitcom before Kurama and Botan finished their breakfast project. They called us into the dining room, setting plates of pancakes, eggs, sausage and fruit down on the table.

We took our seats, complimenting Botan and Kurama on a job well done, and just as Keiko predicted, Kuwabara and Yusuke came stumbling down the stairs. Each of them yawned and rubbed their eyes as they took their own seats at the table.

The two boys imediately began piling food onto their plates, and I saw Keiko roll her eyes slightly.

"I hope you all like it," Botan addressed us as she sat down across from Yukina, Kurama taking the seat next to her, "The pancakes were a bit of a struggle..."

"I fink der grfft!" Kuwabara gushed with a mouth full of eggs, sharing just how much he loved Botan's cooking.

"Yea Botan," I agreed as I took a bite of sweet, syrupy pancake, "These are pretty good."

"See, you did great, dear." Kurama assured his new girlfriend, giving her a kiss on the temple. She instantly blushed and thanked all of us.

All through out breakfast, I ate sort of absent mindedly. My mind was wrapped around the previous night, both at the Cherry Blossom Festival and afterwards in my room with Hiei... It almost seemed like a dream, but I was thankful it was reality.

I found myself glancing up at the stairs every so often, wondering if Hiei was still upstairs in his room, and if so, why he hadn't come down yet.

It was so strange, all I wanted to do was be close to him... I felt as though I would never be able to get enough of his touch. Although even if he did come down the stairs, I could do nothing about this urgent feeling to draw myself towards him... As long as our relationship was kept a secret.

When everyone was done eating, we all shared the chore of cleaning up the dining room and the kitchen.

"Well," Jin sighed as he placed his hands on his hips, "I'd love to stay, but I think I must be goin'."

He made his way to the door, picking up a small bag of his extra clothes.

"See ya, Jin," Yusuke called out as he disappeared upstairs to take a shower, starting to sprint at the top of the stairs to beat a now furious Kuwabara to the bathroom.

"URAMESHI!" Kuwabara's voice boomed through the upstairs hallway, "I called the shower after breakfast!"

I could hear Kuwabara's fist pounding against the bathroom door, followed by the sound of running water.

Slowly, everyone in the house began to go their seperate ways; Keiko had a day of shopping planned with her mother, and she bid me farewell as I plopped onto the couch with the remote.

"See ya, Keiko." I said to her, "I'll let Yusuke know you left." She then grabbed her jacket and purse, and walked out the front door. A few seconds later, I heard her car start up, pull out of the driveway, and take off down the road.

Yukina had went to tend to the garden out in the front of the house, and Botan claimed to have some magazines to catch up on reading, and ambled up the stairs after kissing Kurama sweetly on the lips.

That left just he and I downstairs, and I continued to flip through the channels on the TV as Kurama clanked around with the dishes in the sink.

I turned my head over my should to see that he was towel drying each and every dish.

"Hey, you need any help in there?" I asked sincerely, preparing to stand up off the couch.

Kurama turned to me, glass in one hand, light green dish towel in the other.

"No, no," He assured me with a content smile, "I'm completely fine.. Believe it or not, its actually very relaxing."

With a light chuckle, Kurama turned back to drying the dishes, and I just shrugged.

"Well, alright," I said, "If you say so."

A few minutes passed by, and I was still struggling to find something good on TV, when I heard soft but audible footsteps coming from upstairs. They were drawing closer to the stairs, and my stomach jumped as I saw the familiar black cloack drawing towards the top of the stair well.

I could feel my face flush as I tried to keep my attention on the TV, but I could see Hiei's form coming down the stairs out of the corner of my eye. My stomach flipped around, tieing itself in knots.

"Oh, good morning, Hiei," I heard Kurama greet the silent fire demon as he crossed in front of me, taking a seat on the window sill of the main room, "You just missed breakfast."

"Hn." Hiei grunted as he stared outside into the gray weather of early winter, "I'm not hungry."

"Suit yourself." Kurama replied, his voice seeming to shrug off Hiei's slightly bitter , emotionless tone.

It was so hard to act like I wasn't acheing to touch Hiei, for him to pull me into his arms, and I wondered if he was feeling the same about me.

I stole a few glances at him out of the corner of my eye, but he was standing firm with his gaze out the window. He looked almost as if he was hypnotized...

Suddenly, the phone rang, causing me to flinch a bit. It rang once more before Kurama picked it up, placing it between his shoulder and his ear.

"Hello?" He said into the receiver, "Oh, Koenma... Is something up?... Okay... Alright, well we're all here... Mmmhm... Uh huh... No, I'll make sure everyone stays. I'll tell them its important... Yes... Okay, goodbye."

Kurama hung up the phone, and I turned to him curiously.

"Was that Koenma?" I asked, instantly feeling stupid because it was obvious that it had been my brother.

"Yes," Kurama nodded in reply, placing the glass and the towel down on the counter, "He's on his way over from the Spirit World. He said he had something very urgent to discuss with us. I'm going to go tell Yusuke and Kuwabara."

With that, I watched Kurama retreat upstars, a slight hop in his step.

Now it was just me and Hiei, the buzzing of the TV just providing background noise.

"Good morning.." Hiei suddenly muttered, just loud enough for me to hear.

Slightly surprised, I turned my gaze over to him. He was still staring out the window, his eyes sort of stiff and cold. His brow was slightly furrowed... He looked sort of intimidating.

"Good morning." I replied in return, and he turned his head, placing his eyes on me. His expression didn't change, causing my heart to speed up a bit.

His eyes then quickly darted to their left corners, focusing on the tv for a few seconds, then set themselves back on me.

"Do you mind turning that damn thing down," Hiei grunted as more of a demand than a request, "It's extremely obnoxious... Just like every ningen invention."

"Um... Sure," I complied slowly, picking up the remote and turning the TV down a few notches. "Better?"

"Hn." Hiei turned his attention back out the window, staring into nothing.

"I'll take that as a yes..." I mumbled, setting the remote back down beside me.

I guess Hiei hadn't completely changed, he was still acting a bit like his old self. But, really, I didn't mind... Maybe some things just weren't changeable.

"Did you sleep alright..?" Came another one of Hiei's soft, unexpected remarks... Although, this one a little different. It sounded more... Sincere.

I glanced over at him, but he wasn't looking at me. I traced shapes into the fabric of the arm chair, not knowing what else to do.

"Yea," I said to Hiei, "I slept pretty good... What about you?"

He paused, and I could hear him inhale deeply, then exhale slowly.

"I slept fine." He replied, sounding a bit cold again.

For a moment, I just looked at Hiei, wondering how long we'd have to act this way in the house... I hoped he wasn't ashamed of our relationship.

Just then, Kurama ambled back down the stairs, and I could hear rustling around upstairs, followed by a door slamming, and more running water.

Kurama took a seat on the couch, crossing one leg over the other, leaning back into the plushy cushions.

"I wonder what Koenma wants?" He wondered aloud to himself, "He sounded very serious."

"Who knows," I shrugged, focusing on the TV. A poorly scripted reality TV show was beginning, and a few slutty looking girls were bickering back and forth about one another's classy-ness.

Hiei said nothing, instead got up and retreated to the kitchen. I heard him clattering around with plates and dishes; fixing himself a small plate of sausage and eggs.

As Hiei sat at the counter and ate slowly, Yusuke and Kuwabara appeared from upstairs, each showered and dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"Where's Keiko?" Yusuke asked as he scanned the downstairs area.

"She left to go shopping with her mom like twenty minutes ago." I replied, standing up to take my empty glass of orange juice into the kitchen.

I made a point of just barely grazing my hand across Hiei's lower back as I passed him by, so it was unnoticed to the others, looking like it was unintentional.

When Hiei turned his head slightly, though, I knew he had caught my message. I flashed him a small smile from the sink as I rinsed my glass.

He didn't smile, but his cheeks turned a light shade of pink... I'd hit my mark. He quickly cleared his throat as soft as he could, and looked down at his plate. He was completely focused on his food now, so I took the subtle hint and returned to the living room.

Kuwabara had taken my seat in the arm chair, and Yusuke was seated next to Kurama on the couch, so I perched myself contently on the arm of the couch.

"Hmm.. I guess I should have listened to Keiko last night when she was telling my her plans for today.." Yusuke grumbled next to me. He now had control over the remote, and had chosen a Wildest Police Videos show to watch.

We watched about ten minutes of the show, with Kurama seeming baffled by the point of all the high speed chases and police shoot outs, before there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," I volunteered, "It's probably my brother."

I pushed myself off the arm of the chair and hurried over to the front door. I opened it, and just as I suspected I was face to face with Koenma; He looked a bit overwhelmed, stressed out even.

"Hello, Tsukiyo," He greeted me, seeming distant and unattached.

"Hey," I replied as I stepped aside so he could walk in. He took the invitation and walked past me as I shut the door behind him. "Is everything okay?"

"Not exactly." Koenma scoffed as he ran a hand through his hair, huffing as he plopped down on the couch where Kurama had just gotten up from.

"What's goin' on?" Kuwabara asked curiously.

"Yea, Koenma," Yusuke chimed in, "Why're your diapers all in a bunch?"

At this point, my brother simply shot Yusuke an annoyed look, causing him to roll his eyes and shut his mouth.

"I'm very concerned." Koenma breathed.

"Why's that?" Kurama asked as he leaned up against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest.

Koenma paused, looking around the room at everyone before sighing again and resting his head in his hands.

"They moved the date of the Dark Tournament." He stated simply but gravely.

There was a silence.

"... Okay ..." Yusuke said, "To when?"

"... Three weeks from now." Koenma replied.

Both Kuwabara and Yusuke's jaws dropped to the floor, and out of the corner of my eye I could see Kurama's eyes widen in surprise as well.

I felt a little left out of the loop... I had no idea what the Dark Tournament was, or why it was such a horrible thing that it was three weeks away.

"WHAT?" Yusuke shouted as he sprang from the couch, "But we were supposed to have like 8 months left before the Dark Tournament! Now you're telling me we only have three weeks to train?"

Oh, maybe that's why it was such a big deal...

"I know this is a tight situation Yusuke," Koenma replied in a steady tone, but I could tell he was just as angry, "But shouting about it won't help anything-"

"Oh, save it, binky breath." Yusuke snapped at him, digging his palms into his eye sockets. He let out a growl of frustration.

Koenma looked as if he was about to stand up and shout back, but he contained himself and tried to keep the room under control.

"There's nothing you all can do but start your training early.." He said. "There's no other solution. If Genkai were still here, I'd have her come over as soon as possible to jumpstart your training into over drive.."

For a moment, the room felt sad. I wanted to ask who this Genkai was, but it seemed like a sensitive subject... I assumed she was deceased, and decided to leave it alone.

"Hey.." Kuwabara spoke up suddenly, and everyone turned their attention to him, "I just realized... Our team is gonna be one short... y'know, without the old lady.."

"Yes, there will only be four of us.." Kurama agreed solumnly, "We need five to be qualified for the tournament. We can't simply just drop out.. What will happen then?"

"Nothing good, Kurama..." Koenma moaned, placing his elbows on his knees and his forehead in his hands, "Nothing good."

Everyone was quiet for a few seconds. I stole glances around the room at each face, which looked deep in thought. I began to chew my bottom lip out of nervousness and slight awkwardness.

Thoughts raced through my head like lightening, until finally I heard myself speak up.

"... I could fill in as the fifth member."

Instantly, all eyes in the room were on me.

Koenma jerked his head out of his hands so fast I thought his neck might snap, and his eyes were wide and piercing. He looked completely bewildered.

"No." Came a sharp reply, but it hadn't been Koenma, as I expected it to be. Koenma's lips hadn't moved.

Now, instead of all the eyes in the room staring at me, they were directed at the source of the voice... Hiei.

I'd forgotten he was sitting in the kitchen, he'd been so quiet. Now, he stood behind the couch and arm chair, a stern, serious expression on his face, and his hands resting in the pockets of his cloak.

"Hiei..?" I said softly, not quite understand where this was coming from. "What..-"

"You heard what I said," Hiei countered, never breaking eye contact with me, "You all did. There's no way that onna will be a part of this team. All she'll do is slow us down."

I just blinked at Hiei, feeling a slight anger. Why would he say that? Was he that determined to act like he hated me?

"What?" I demanded, letting my anger out a bit now, "What do you mean I would just-"

"Hold on a moment, Tsukiyo," Koenma spoke up now, standing from his position on the couch, "I have to say that I agree with Hiei."

My shoulders drooped a bit, but then my brow furrowed. I placed my hands on my hips, gearing my now burning anger towards my brother, instead of my boyfriend.

"You agree that I'll just slow the team down?" I asked as I narrowed my amber colored eyes, "Don't any of you have any faith in me?"

I turned to the other three boys, and Yusuke finally shrugged.

"I say if the girl wants to fight, let her fight." He said, "You'd be surprised how much the Tournament brings out of you when you're actually in the ring."

"Yea," Kuwabara agreed, "It's like a huge adrenaline rush."

I held my hand out towards the boys, motioning to them.

"See?" I said, looking from Koenma to Hiei, "Yusuke thinks I can do it, and so does Kuwabara."

"Kuwabara has the brain mass of a small rodent," Hiei snapped back, causing a rise out of the orange haired teen on the other side of the room, but Yusuke put a hand on his shoulder to hold him back, "And I could give a damn what Yusuke thinks."

"She has gained a substantial amount of control over her abilities, Koenma," Kurama spoke up now, "Not to say that it's total control."

"Yea," I said, glad to have at least a little back up now, "What about all that training I did? What was that for...? Nothing?"

Koenma just looked at me, his eyes stern at first, but I could see them gradually soften. He sighed, seeming unsure of what to say.

I could feel Hiei's eyes burning into me, but I paid no mind. Ultimately, it wasn't Hiei's decision to make, it was Koenma's.

"I just don't think you're ready, Tsuki.." He muttered. I looked into his soul-searching eyes.

"Koenma." I said, my voice sharp, "I'm a big girl, a grown woman, and I think I'm capable of making big decisions on my own. Only I know if I'm ready, and I know I am."

"Hn," I heard Hiei grunt, sounding more like a disbeliving chuckle. He muttered something else, but I failed to hear.

"Come on, Koenma," Kuwabara edged in, "We need another member."

My brother glanced over at Kuwabara, then at Hiei, then at me.

Finally, he let out an exhausted sigh, and ran his hand through his light brown hair once more.

"... Okay," He said reluctantly, "You're right... You're able to make your own decisions. You can enter into the tournament as the Urameshi team's fifth member, but only on the following conditions."

He looked at me firmly, keeping his voice level, and I just nodded. I didn't want to press my luck.

"First, you'll train with the boys. Each and every day." Koenma held up a finger, counting the conditions. He held up another, "Second, you will NOT go off by yourself, for any reason, once you cross the barrier into the makai," One more finger, "And third, when you fight, you will use reason and be wise about it... Don't jump into a fight you know you can't win."

"Okay," I agreed as I nodded, "I promise."

"Alright.." Koenma sighed again, placing his own hands on his hips now, "I'm still not entirely sure about this, but I suppose there's nothing I can do about it now. Let's just all work out a training plan, and smooth out any kinks in our plans."

We all sat in the main room, working out a training schedule, for about thirty minutes more.

Each person added their own input and suggestions, except of course Hiei. He hung back, staying silent, seeming angered.

There was no doubt in my mind it was because of me and my assertiveness to be a part of the team. I knew I'd have to deal with it at some point, but now wasn't the time.

"Well it seems that everything is settled," Koenma said as the meeting drew to a close. He stood up off the couch, "You'll start your training tomorrow morning, bright and early. Now, if you'll all excuse me, I've got a ton of paper work waiting for me back at the palace... Not to mention a few dozen frantic ogres."

I heard my brother groan as he walked towards the door, letting himself out. He bid farewell to everyone, and we all half-heartedly shouted a good-bye back, too absorbed in this new situation to think completely straight.

Without a word, Hiei made a swift line for the stairs.

"Where are you going, Hiei?" Kurama asked as the fire demon nimbly climbed the stairs.

There was no answer, or even an acknowledgement that he had heard Kurama. All that could be heard were Hiei's footsteps trailing down the hall, and the sound of a door shutting... Not a soft "click", but yet not a slam either... Just inbetween.

"Sheesh, what was that about earlier?" Kuwabara asked as he furrowed his eyebrow at the path Hiei had taken up the stairs. "I think that's the most I've heard the little pipsqueak talk in... in, uh... well, ever, actually."

"He did seem very upset about you joining our team, Tsukiyo," Kurama said, seeming a little puzzled.

"Who gives a rat's ass?" Yusuke scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest, "When has Hiei ever been happy about anything? Let him pout."

With that, Yusuke stormed out to the porch, letting the screen door clatter shut behind him. I flinched at the sudden racket.

Kurama sighed and opened a book that was resting on the coffee table in front of the couch, and Kuwabara turned on his PlayStation that was hooked up to the flat screen TV.

Out of respect for Kurama, he turned the volume down low.

I was left standing in the middle of the common room, and even though I had just won a serious battle for my right to make my own decisions, I felt awkward, as if I had just made a huge scene.

I found myself glancing up at the stair case, towards Hiei's room. I knew I had to go up there... But what would I say?

"I'm... " I began to think up a lie, "... I'm just gonna go lay down for a while."

I didn't wait for a response. I walked up the stairs, making a point to seem sluggish. I didn't want Kurama or Kuwabara to think I was in a hurry to get anywhere.

But as I got to the top of the stairs where the two differing halls divided, I stole a glance down the stairway to see if either pair of eyes had followed me.

Kurama was still engrossed in the book; he slowly turned a page and began scanning the next one.

Kuwabara was turning the controler every which was, totally immersed in a graphic racing game. He bit his bottom lip in concentration.

Yusuke was still no where to be found.

Like a ghost, I was completely unseen, not paid one bit of attention to, and that's just what I wanted as I headed down the boy's hallway, stopping in front of Hiei's door.

My heart began to beat a bit faster as I held up my fist to knock. But first, I listened.

I could hear the metallic sound of metal against some sort of stone; A blade being sharpened.

I sighed to myself, and slowly knocked on the door.

"What." I heard a grunt in reply from the other side of the door, slightly muffled.

"Its me.." I said, just barely loud enough for him to hear me.

"Get in here." This response was sharper, and I knew he was serious.

I had no choice but to open the door and go inside... But that didn't stop the nerves from racking my spine.

What was I about to walk into?

_**To be continued...**_


	23. Chapter 23

**Thank you so much to everyone with all the positive feedback on my stories, and tips to improve my writing. I appreciate & love you all so much, it means a lot to me(:**

**This chapter is a bit long, but I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you enjoy reading it!**

_****Song of the chapter: Another Song About The Weekend - A Day to Remember** (Nothing to do with the story, I just love the song & the band(: )**_

-

I took one last deep breath before opening Hiei's door, and shutting it as silently as I could behind me.

I stood with my back against the door for a few seconds. Hiei's room was dark, except for his small desk lamp. It was illuminated straight at Hiei's hands, which were sharpening his katana as I suspected.

He paused for a moment, holding the blade up. It glinted in the glow of the bulb, and he lowered it back to the desk, scraping the stone across the metal a few more times.

"Um.." I spoke up, "Did you want to... talk about something?"

My voice sounded more hesitant and meek than I'd wanted it to.

Then the room fell silent. Hiei placed down his katana and the sharpening stone, but didn't turn in his seat to face me yet.

"Tell me something, Tsukiyo," Hiei said softly. I couldn't quite read his tone at this point.

"What..?" I asked, still not moving away from the door.

"Are you completely insane?" He growled at me, now whipping around in his chair. The shadows of his room cast down upon his face in an eerie way.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded, deciding to play dumb.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about," Hiei snapped at me, now standing up from his chair.

And he was right, I did know what he was talking about, and my idea to play dumb was pointless. If anything, it was only going to add fuel to Hiei's fiery anger, and I knew I didn't want that.

I was a girl that could stand her ground in a fight, but I hadn't quite tested those waters with Hiei, and I wasn't sure I was ready for any sort of fight with him. Before I could begin to defend myself in this discussion, Hiei went on with his lecture.

"Do you have any idea exactly how foolish you were downstairs?" Hiei demanded as he stared at me, his voice more like a hiss, "The Makai alone is no place for someone like you, let alone the Dark Tournament. You're merely a snack for the ignorant beasts that dwell there."

"Someone like me?" I repeated his statement but tried to keep my voice level and quiet, finally moving away from the door and stopping just in front of his bed, "I'm not completely helpless, Hiei... And plus, did you not hear Koenma? I'm gonna be training with all of you the whole time."

"Do you honestly think that a few weeks of training is going to prepare you for this?" Hiei snarled, a bit too loudly, and he seemed to catch that, lowering his voice, "I don't think you understand, Tsukiyo. Powerful upper class demons die each year in this tournament. This isn't your standard friendly competition. It's life or death, and no one has any mercy for you."

I sat down on Hiei's bed, letting my eyes wander toward his window, catching a small sliver of light trailing through the dark curtains and staining the floor.

"Well I knew it wasn't going to be something pleasant, or even safe..." I admitted, "But I know I can do it, Hiei, if I push myself hard enough. And what else was I supposed to do, just let you guys drop out without a fifth team member..?"

"Yes." Hiei replied quickly and simply.

I shot him a look, but it didn't seem to phase him. I sighed, and flopped back onto his pillows, now staring up at the ceiling.

"I wasn't going to sit back and just let you guys fall through," I stated flatly, "And like I told my brother, I'm a big girl. I can make my own decisions."

"Please," Hiei sneered as he stripped his cloak off his body, hanging it up in the closet. It was hard not to let my eyes wander to his near perfect body... I noticed those strange bandages wrapped up his left arm again... "Don't feed me your feminist garbage."

"It's not feminist," I corrected him as I furrowed my brow, "It's me reminding all of you alpha males that I do have a mind, body, and life of my own, and it's my choice what I do with it. If I want to fight, that's what I'll do."

Hiei stayed quiet for a moment, but I could feel him glaring at me. Finally, he sighed, sounding the slightest bit defeated. I turned my attention to him as he leaned against his wall, crossing his arms over his well toned chest.

"So I suppose there's no talking you out of this," He mumbled, his ruby red eyes almost hypnotizing me.

I shook my head softly in response.

Hiei kept his gaze locked on me for a few seconds, then finally tore away to stare out the window.

"Hn," He grunted after a moment, "Then I won't waste any more of my time or breath. You'd just better be careful."

"Yea, yea..." I said with a small smile, waving off his concern... Although, it was cute.

"I'm serious, Tsukiyo." Hiei's voice was so sharp, it actually caught me off guard. I looked up at him from his pillows, "The Makai is nothing like the human world, the same rules just don't apply. Demons are attacked in broad daylight and no one will so much as bother to do anything to stop it."

He sounded so serious and almost... angry. I kept my eyes on him during the break in his speech. He turned his head again and directed his eyes out the window.

"I won't hesitate to kill anyone that lays a finger on you." Hiei said in a bone chilling tone. I could see in his face that he was completely serious. My eyes caught a glimpse of his freshly sharpened blade resting on his desk.

At this sort of unexpected comment, I felt my face flush.

Hiei glanced over at me, then back out the window.

"Worthless creatures..." He muttered. He looked as if he was imagining the scenario in his head.

"Everything will be alright, Hiei.." I assured him softly, "You know, you don't have to worry so much about protecting me, I-"

I was cut off by Hiei shooting me a sharp glare, and I could understand what he was telling me without him even having to open his mouth.

"Okay, okay." I said as I defenseively held up my hands in front of me. Hiei's eyes softened and I wrapped my arms around one of his pillows, laying down on my stomach now. "Sorry, I didn't mean I don't want you to protect me, or I don't appreciate it or anything, because I do.."

Hiei sighed in a huff, and dropped his arms to his sides. He took a few steps over to his bed, and sat down with one leg off the edge, facing towards me.

"It wouldn't matter if you didn't want me to," Hiei informed me in that same, familiar emotionless tone, "Because it would happen anyway."

I blinked a moment, fighting a smile that I could feel working up on my lips. I chewed my bottom lip slightly to help fight it off.

"Well just don't go slitting every demon's throat that looks at me wrong," I teased him, but at the same time I wasn't sure if he would take it seriously... After all, I didn't know anything about his history of violence, if he had one... Which I assumed he did.

"Hn," Hiei grunted, "We'll see about that.."

"Hiei," I said as I furrowed my brow a bit, but he didn't acknowledge it.

"If I'm around, they'll be stupid to think they can get away with it." Hiei stated in a menacing way, "It only takes one head rolling to keep the others attatched and in line."

My eyes widened a bit at this and I found myself gulping slightly, imagining this dark and scary version of Hiei with his katana in my head... too much blood and gore for my liking. I tried to hide this from him, but as he spoke again I knew I hadn't done a good enough job.

"You'd just better be on your toes.." His voice got softer as he layed down on his back, his face right next to mine, and he turned his face just slightly to face me. I rested my head in my hand as I looked at him, "And stay on top of your training."

"I will." I smiled gently and nodded. It was sweet that he cared and worried so much for me already.

For a moment, Hiei didn't say anything. His eyes were soft and gentle as he stared into mine, and I felt my cheeks warm, turning a light shade of rosy red.

"Why are you blushing, onna?" Hiei asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He was just so mysterious and attractive that I didn't even care that he called me 'onna'. It was fair to say that I had hardly even noticed.

"I don't know.." I replied with a bashful shrug, "This all just still so new... you know, you and me. I get this fluttery, sort of tight feeling in my stomach when I'm around you, or even think about you. But I like it.."

Hiei stared into my eyes for a few moments longer, and I began to think that maybe he was feeling the same way... Maybe he was about to agree with me.

But then, slowly, I realized the fire demon's cheeks were warming to a rosy pink color as well. He quickly turned his head toward the ceiling to mask it, but it was too late, I had already seen it.

"Hn.." Hiei muttered, and his speech stopped there. I could still see his pink cheeks in the dim light of the room, but I decided to just keep it to myself. I smiled a bit and rested my head on the pillow wrapped in my arms.

"... Have you ever, you know... Gotten hurt in the tournament?" I asked, just out of the blue. The moment the words fled from my mouth, I regretted it, thinking I may of just struck some sort of nerve.

I could see Hiei glance at me out of the corner of my eye.

"Sorry," I quickly apologized, "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to.."

"I did," Hiei interrupted me, "The last tournament, I took on a fight to avenge Kurama, who had been badly injured... He was a very powerful demon, much more powerful than I'd expected," I kept listening intently to Hiei's unexpected story he was sharing with me, "It took every ounce of energy I had, but in the end I obliterated him with my strongest attack... But I almost lost my life in the process."

I stared at him in astonishment, and he turned his eyes toward me, lowering his voice to a barely audible level.

"But that's the price you pay." He said to me, "Its what you train for... You have to be prepared to have your life taken from you, without warning, from any angle. You have to be at peace with that concept, and that's all I want you to understand."

"I know," I replied softly and seriously, "I do understand that, Hiei."

"But also understand this..." Hiei said as he gently tilted my chin upwards so I was looking into his eyes, "I will give my life, without any question, before I'll let anyone even try to take yours."

At this point, I was completely speechless. The only thing I could do was sit there, wide eyed, staring deep into my boyfriend's red orbs... I felt as though I could see into his soul at that moment.

Without even entirely realizing it, I reached my hand up towards Hiei's head, burying my fingers in his thick, black hair.

I gently pulled him closer, pressing my lips against his. We stayed close like this for a good while, giving each other deep, romantic kisses, until finally we broke apart. I rested my forehead against Hiei's and grinned.

"Thank you, Hiei," I whispered, "I'll be sure to look out for myself."

- A few hours later -

"WHAT?" Botan screeched at the top of her lungs, "How could they just change the date?"

She, Keiko, Yukina and I sat in my room, folding my clean clothes that had just come out of the laundry.

"I don't know," I sighed and shrugged as I folded a plain navy colored tank top, "That's just what Koenma said... He didn't seem too happy about it, either. No one did."

Yukina grabbed a stack of folded pajama pants from the floor, and walked them across the room to my dresser. The drawer made a quiet sliding sound as she pulled it open, placing the pants inside it. I heard the same noise as she pushed it closed, and then leaned against it.

"It's an awful thing, I think its very inconsiderate of the tournament committee," She remarked in her gentle voice, "I can only hope that no one gets hurt like last year..." Her voice trailed off as she looked away, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Her ruby red eyes looked sad and worried, and it was so strange to think she was related to Hiei, who constantly put up a stone cold front. Yukina couldn't be more open and free about her emotions.

"Yusuke was out for an entire day last year..." Keiko muttered, and I turned my attention to her. She, too, looked incredibly worried, and even sad. She placed a half folded shirt down in her lap, and glanced up at all of us, "I got so scared. I thought he wouldn't make it..." I could hear her voice trembling a bit, "I-... I just don't want to go through that again.. I don't think I can."

She put her hand up to her mouth to steady herself, and Botan reached over to squeeze her shoulder in a comforting way.

"It's okay, dear," She said to her softly, "I know you were scared. We all were.."

"Yes," Yukina agreed with a nod of the head. She made her way back over to the group, and sat down on the bed. "And the important thing is he pulled through. He's a strong boy, they're all strong boys. I'm sure nothing bad will happen to them."

"Aren't you scared for Kuwabara, Yukina..?" Keiko asked, slowly recovering from her tearful breakdown. "He took a pretty good beating last year, too.."

Yukina simply smiled warmly at the brown haired girl.

"Of course I'm scared, I do care for Kazuma very much," The ice maiden replied, "But I do have faith in his ability to fight, and I know he is very strong. He may act goofy, but he's a great warrior. Never gives up. He can pull through.."

Keiko and Botan nodded, seeming to be inspired.

"I've seen enough of Kurama's battles to know that he can defend himself," Botan spoke up, her voice sounding a bit unsure, "And I've only experienced this as a single girl... I could never begin to imagine what either of you must be going through, watching the man you love battle in the name of life and death.. I'm still not sure how to even begin to feel."

I kept quiet as I listened to the girls share their feelings about their boyfriends, wishing I could share my own. But I had to keep my mouth shut, because of the promise I'd made to Hiei. It was too soon, anyway. What if it didn't work out...?

I could only hope it would.

"You're going along, aren't you, Tsuki?"

I blinked and looked over at Keiko, who had asked me the question.

"Huh..?" I said in confusion, "Sorry, I kinda spaced out for a second.."

"Are you coming along?" Keiko asked again, "To watch the tourament, I mean?"

"Oh.." I guessed I had forgotten to tell them my other big news; I had gotten side tracked with just the simple news of the date being moved, "Well, actually... I am coming along, but not to watch."

The three girls blinked at me quizically, and Yukina furrowed her brow.

"What do you mean?" She asked curiously.

I looked back and forth between them, wondering how they'd take the news. Only one way to find out. I looked back down at the shirt I was folding to distract me from their puzzled stares.

"I, um.. volunteered to fill in to be the fifth member of the team. I'll be fighting in the tournament right along with the boys." I said, preparing for a series of shrieks, but the room was silent.

I glanced up and was greeted with three pairs of wide eyes and three dropped jaws. I felt myself crack a nervous smile.

"Heh..." I chuckled sheepishly as I scratched the back of my neck, "Pretty exciting, huh..?"

"You WHAT?" Keiko screeched suddenly, causing me to jump a bit.

"Oh my gosh, Tsukiyo!" Botan agreed, her voice just as shrill.

Yukina merely covered her gaping mouth with her hands, seeming unable to usher any words from her throat.

"I know, I know," I stammered quickly as I held my hands up defensively in front of me, "It was a crazy decision... But I had to do it. They were down a member and I couldn't just let them fall through... you know?"

Botan suddenly looked very sad.

"That's right..." She said, her voice barely audible, "Genkai was their fifth member... God bless her."

Keiko and Yukina nodded, and the air in the room grew very thick.

"I obviously didn't know her," I spoke up after a few seconds, respecting their moment of silence and keeping my voice soft and sincere, "And I won't bring up any bad memories by talking about it any further. I'm sure Genkai was a great woman."

I passed my smile around the room, hoping to cheer things up, and thankfully it worked, even if it was just a little bit.

We slowly picked up our pace again, folding what clothes were left on my floor.

"So, you all should begin your training soon, shouldn't you?" Botan asked, passing a pair of jeans to Keiko, who folded them and placed them in a pile.

"Bright and early tomorrow morning," I replied with a nod, "We've only got three weeks.. We've got to get to work as soon as possible."

"I just still can't believe this.." Keiko sighed as she shook her head.

Even though I was unfamiliar with the Dark Tournament and everything that had to do with it, I couldn't believe it either. It was slowly starting to dawn on me that in less than a month, I would be fighting real demons in the Makai, and not just for practice. My life would really be in danger, and I was beginning to wonder if I really was ready for something as serious as this...

But it was too late to worry now. I had taken on a responsibility, and I intended to keep it. I had known these boys less than a year, and they already all meant the world to me in one way or another... There was no way that I would let them down.

- Later that Night -

The sun had just set over the browning, autumn hills, and there was a definite chill in the air.

I wrapped my arms around myself as I dropped load of fire wood onto a large pile we had already accumulated; We meaning Yusuke and I.

"How did we get roped into gathering all the fire wood.." I grumbled up at the human teen as he also dropped off some fire wood into the pile.

" 'Cause we're surrounded by a bunch of lazy asses, that's why," Yusuke griped back at me, digging in his pocket for something, "Me being one of them... I just always lose the freakin' coin tosses."

I nodded in understanding, nudging a few out of place twigs with my foot. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Yusuke had found what he was looking for in his pocket, and he had pulled it out.

I looked up to see Yusuke place a cigerette between his lips, and pull a lighter from his other pocket.

"You smoke?" I asked him in a surprised tone, "I didn't know you smoked."

"Shhh!" Yusuke shushed me hastily, waving his hands at me. The ciggerette bounced around between his lips. He paused a moment and looked into the windows of the house where he could see Keiko gathering all the things to make smores, talking back and forth with Botan and Kurama.

"I take it Keiko doesn't know, either?" I asked more softly now as I raised a suspicious eyebrow at him.

Yusuke shook his head and turned his back to the window as he lit his ciggerette, taking a long drag off it, and then exhaling slowly.

"No, she doesn't.." He replied, "And she doesn't need to. I'd never hear the end of it, but all this shit about the dark tournament..." He sat down in one of the chairs arranged in a circle around the fire wood, "It's stressin' me out, y'know?"

I'd never heard Yusuke sounding so unsure, and honestly it was a little unnerving... but I felt for him.

"I won't tell her, Yusuke, don't worry," I promised him, "But you might wanna put that out because she's about to come out here."

"Shit.." Yusuke cursed to himself, quickly blowing out his last puff of smoke before tossing the half-burnt ciggerette into the grass, smothering it with his foot. He popped a handy breath mint into his mouth from his jacket pocket.

Something told me he had those on him for this specific reason, and what great timing... Keiko immediately walked up to him and planted a firm kiss on his lips before setting the grahm crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows down on another chair.

"Mm," She cooed, "You taste minty."

"Do I?" Yusuke asked, laughing nervously, "Well it must be this breath mint!"

Keiko just gave her boyfriend a weird look and giggled a little bit, giving him one more peck on the lips.

As Keiko bent down to examine the contents of the chair below her, I slapped my hand to my forehead, making sure to not to make too much noise.

I shook my head at Yusuke, and he gave me a silent shrug. He began to mouth 'What?' at me, when Keiko stood up again. He quickly shoved his hands in his pockets and smiled at her.

"I left the roasting sticks in the house," She sighed, "I'll be right back."

She retreated into the house, passing Hiei, Kuwabara, and Yukina. Of course, Hiei and Kuwabara were bickering about something or other, but I only caught the tail end of it.

"... Yea well we'll just see about that tomorrow in training!" Kuwabara hollered at Hiei, who hardly seemed affected, "I'll kick your scrawny ass, you little punk!"

"I've yet to see that actually happen, baka," Hiei grunted back, walking away from Kuwabara all together.

The tall, orange haired spirit detective made a move to go after Hiei, but Yukina placed a hand on his upper arm, and he looked down at her.

She spoke some words that I couldn't hear, and I could see him melt. Yukina smiled at him then, and wrapped herself around his arm, leaning her seafoam green head of hair against him.

I couldn't help but smile to myself. He really loved that girl, and I knew she loved him more than anything as well.

"Hey, Hiei," I greeted my secret boyfriend as he sat in the chair next to me. He was wearing a baggy glack hoodie, black pants and black shoes.

"Hn." He replied, shoving his hands into the front pocket of the hoodie, "I can't believe you talked me into this senseless gathering."

"Aw, c'mon," I said to him sweetly, "It'll be fun!"

From behind me, Yusuke laughed.

"Hiei and fun just don't go together," He said as he swiped a piece of chocolate from one of the packages, "But its nice to see your mug around more, Hiei. It's like you actually live here like the rest of us, a lot less like a bat hanging around in the attic."

"Very funny, Urameshi." Hiei replied, and Yusuke shoved the piece of chocolate in his mouth.

"It's what I do," He said with a shrug. "KURAMA, BOTAN, HURRY UP ALREADY!"

Yusuke's sudden shout in the direction of the house caught me off guard, along with Kuwabara and Yukina. We all flinched, but of course Hiei was unscathed... He somehow always kept his cool.

"Oh, Yusuke, for goodness sake!" Botan shouted as she stepped out the screen door and onto the porch. She was holding a plate full of hot dogs, and Kurama followed close behind with the buns and a bottle of ketchup.

Following after Kurama, Keiko emerged from inside the house with a bottle of mustard and the roasting sticks for our hot dog and marshmallows.

"What?" Yusuke asked as they drew nearer, "It's not like we have any neighbors to worry about disturbing." I saw him steal another piece of chocolate and pop it into his mouth.

Botan simply rolled her eyes and didn't respond.

"Who has the matches?" Kuwabara asked as he patted his pockets. All across the circle, everyone did the same.

No one had the matches.

"I'll just run and get some," Kurama offered as he turned to walk back to the house, but I stopped him.

"No, wait," I said, standing up from my chair and walking closer to the pile of fire wood, "Let me try to start it. I haven't used my powers in forever, I don't wanna let them get rusty. So.."

I closed my eyes and concentrated on a single flame, rubbing my index finger and my thumb together softly, picturing now that my fingers were flints, sparking with each graze against each other.

Finally, I snapped my fingers, and opened my eyes... and the fire was started!

"I did it!" I cheered happily, jumping in place.

"Bravo, Tsuki!" Botan cheered, clapping.

"Yes, very well done!" Kurama congratulated me as well, along with Kuwabara and Yukina.

"Thanks, guys.." I said with a sheepish laugh, "To tell you the truth, I was half expecting it not to work.."

"But it did," Keiko said, "So let's get this barbeque started!"

"Great idea," Yusuke agreed, "I'm starving!"

- Hiei's POV -

The sun sank below the Earth rather quickly, and I could feel the chill in the air become more dense.

I paid no mind to the cold, however. I was in my element, a burning fire before me... Even though I was surrounded by my insolent housemates.

There was a constant chatter between the group, a discussion about some sort of musical band, which I chose to take no part in.

Instead, I inhaled deepy the scent of the burning wood, and the heat wafting up from the bright orange flames.

I closed my eyes for a moment and listened to the crackling of the fire, sounding almost as if it was alive. For a moment, I felt calm. Peace.

"Hiei?" A voice shook me from my thoughts, and I felt my eyes flutter open.

I turned my head to my left, and saw a white paper plate being held out toward me. On the plate there was a hot dog, covered with two gooey looking substances; ketchup and mustard, I believe they were called.

My eyes then traveled up the arm that was holding the plate, and finally my eyes layed upon that familier face.

Tsukiyo, with her delicate, fair skin... Her shimmering golden eyes, unlike any I'd ever seen... Her long, beautiful deep blue hair...

"..Hiei?" Her lips moved and my name escaped, her face looking puzzled, "Do you not like hot dogs..?"

I waited a moment, then glanced back down at the hot dog before slowly taking the plate and putting it in my lap.

"Hn," I found myself grunting, "...Thank you."

Those words felt so foreign on my tounge.

Tsukiyo smiled, and it was all I could do to keep my heart from melting. I quickly focused on taking a bite of the food on my plate.

It was surprsingly good, but I wasn't about to showcase it.

"I can't believe you don't like anything on your hot dogs, Botan," Keiko said from across the flames.

Botan was holding a plain hot dog in a bun, about to bite into it.

"Oh, I can't stand ketchup or mustard," Botan squealed back in that obnoxious voice of hers, "So messy and icky.."

More useless drabble that needn't be discussed.

As we ate, nothing was spoken but mere small talk. I couldn't believe I'd let Tsukiyo talk me into participating in this charade.

"Tsukiyo," Kurama then spoke up and looked at the blue haired angel sitting to my left, "Are you nervous?"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her lean down in her chair, placing her empty paper plate on the ground.

"Nervous about what?" She asked as she pulled her knees up to her chest, "The tournament?"

Kurama simply nodded in response.

This was a topic I was interested in. Although it was never my intention to let Tsukiyo fight in this tournament, I did want to know if she truely believed she was prepared... Or was simply going along with this plan, only to keep our team afloat.

"Yea," Kuwabara piped up, and I could feel my blood pressure race just hearing the sound of his voice, "You gotta be shakin' in your boots. I know I was last year, my first time and all."

I fought an extreme urge to inform Kuwabara that although Tsukiyo had only had knowledge of abilities for a few months, she still had more energy packed into her little finger than he had in his whole body.

In her chair, Tsukiyo tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and I crossed my arms over my chest as I listened to her exhale deeply. Baka.

"Well.." She said with a pause to look up at the sky, "I mean, of course I'm nervous... I'm not really scared, if that's what you mean. I know I can fight, I'll just need a little help to fine tune."

"Well, that's what we're here for." Kurama replied, smiling that smile that made all the girls swoon... pathetic females.

"Yea," Yusuke chimed in, taking a bite of his third hot dog, "We're a team, right? We'll get you into shape and kicking demon ass in no time!"

Tsukiyo laughed lightly and I felt my stomach twist.

"You'd just better be careful this time, Yusuke," Keiko nagged, "Last time you slept through a whole day of fighting. No one could wake you up, not even with a slap to the face!"

"Yea, yea," Yusuke waved her comments away from him like a pesky fly.

"I'm serious, Yusuke." Keiko barked at him, then folded her arms over her chest, "I'm just glad I actually know you're going this time."

I saw her shoot a look of daggers over in Botan's direction. If it weren't for her, the ningen onna would have never known about the tournament in the first place.

And there it was again, more useless chatter that I had no interest in. I leaned my head in my hand, trying to stay awake.

"I'll be right back," Tsukiyo announced after a moment, standing from her chair, "I have to use the ladies room."

"Hurry back, dear!" Botan called out across the fire, "We're about to start the smores."

"I'll be quick." Tsukiyo replied, and she brushed past me to make her way into the house.

I found my eyes slowly following her, taking in everything about her in a matter of seconds.

She was wearing a simple grey hooded sweatshirt that hid the soft curves of her upper body, but the black leggins she was wearing gave me plenty of curves to take in on her bottom half. The fuzzy looking brown boots on her feet muted her footsteps against the grass.

My eyes were drawn to her rear end, perfectly cupped in the tight fabric of the leggings.

I didn't allow myself to become too immersed, reluctantly tearing my eyes away from her body.

"I saw that." A voice spoke up beside me, and I felt my body tense up.

I turned my attention to Yusuke, who was leaned back in his lawn chair, hands behind his head.

He had a smug look on his face, an annoying smirk plastered on his lips. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Urameshi." I stated bluntly before turning my eyes back to the orange glow of the fire.

Kurama tossed in a few more small branches in order to keep it burning.

"Oh, come on, Hiei," Yusuke pressed on, closing his eyes and shifting in the chair a bit, "You might not be human, but deep down... well, there's just a normal guy in there."

"What?" I demanded from him in a low growl.

Yusuke then leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. I glanced over at the rest of my housemates, making sure they weren't focused on our conversation.

"You were totally checking out Tsukiyo's ass." He said to me, lowering his voice. There was that snide smirk again.

For a moment, I was caught completely off guard, and I could feel it showing in my face. Yusuke caught it, too, because his sickening smirk morphed into a full-on grin right before my eyes.

I quickly corrected my facial mishap, pinching my lips into a tight line. I gave Yusuke my best "do-not-fuck-with-me" look, but it had no affect.

"No," I said to Yusuke, making direct eye contact and keeping my voice in that same low growl, "I wasn't. Why on Earth would I do that."

"Why not?" He asked with a casual shrug, "I mean, really.." He stole a glance at Keiko; she wasn't paying one bit of attention, so he kept going, leading his eyes back to mine, "She's got a killer body. And a pretty face. You can't sit there and tell me you don't think she's at least a little attractive."

I paused a moment, not knowing exactly what to say. It was safe to say that I was rendered speechless, I didn't know how to back myself up in this situation.

Finally, I simply grunted, and turned my eyes back to fire once more.

"I don't particularly care to waste my time with the useless matter of attraction," I told him flatly, "I'm done with this conversation."

I could feel Yusuke looking at me, and somehow I could sense that he knew I wasn't being truthful.

"Whatever you say, Hiei." He said after a few seconds. I could see Tsukiyo moving through the house now, and soon she was making her way off the porch and into the yard.

"Man, now I gotta go take a leak.." Yusuke grumbled, standing up from his chair. He stretched, letting out a sigh.

Then, just before Tsukiyo reached the circle of chairs around the camp fire, I felt Yusuke slap a hand onto my shoulder, taking me by surprise. He patted my shoulder twice, and gave it a brief squeeze.

He then placed both hands in the pockets of his green jacket, and walked around the outside of the fire, passing Tsukiyo along the way.

I watched as he placed a hand in front of her face, teasing her; causing her to smile and swat his hand away.

"Yusuke!" Botan cried out suddenly as she unwrapped a package of grahm crackers, "Where are you going? We're starting the smores now!"

"Jesus christ, I'll be right back!" Yusuke called out, "Just start without me!"

"Oh, alright.." I heard Botan huff in annoyance. She began passing around equal shares of each sweet product.

Tsukiyo finally reached her chair next to mine, and sat down, pulling her knees to her chest again.

"Ohh," She cooed as she was passed a plate of marshmallow, chocolate, and grahm cracker, "Yummy."

She then grabbed another plate, turned to me, and held it out.

This time, I took the plate without hesitation, making a point to graze my fingers against hers.

Her eyes were wide as she looked at me, almost looking surprised. They glowed and sparkled in the soft light of the fire, and I wished I could kiss her right then and there.

After a few moments, I smiled ever so softly, and it seemed to trigger a chain reaction between us; Her own soft lips curved gently, and I could see in her eyes she was feeling the same way I felt at that very moment.

As the group of 8 of us roasted marshmallows in the fire, all I could think about was what Yusuke had tried to get out of me... Maybe I was letting myself slip. But there was no way I could hide my feelings for Tsukiyo any better.

I was just thankful I didn't have to fight myself anymore for the rights to have her.

And I knew that if she did fall into any danger in the Dark Tournament, I would protect her in any and every way I could. I would kill any demon or human that tried to hurt her, and if that meant exposing our realtionship, then so be it.

_**To be continued...**_


	24. Chapter 24

-Tsukiyo's POV-

The night sky was blood red. The air was thick, suffocating... As I looked up, I could see a portal tear the sky open, a gaping black hole. Hideous demons fled from that portal, drooling and grinning, flashing their sharp, disgusting yellow teeth. As well as the demons, a sort of lightning flashed from inside the portal, seeming to reach down just inches above the earth.  
Around me, I could see Yusuke... Kurama... Kuwabara...They were all shouting back and forth to each other, but I could hear nothing, absolutely nothing, like my whole world was on mute. The boys drew their weapons of chose; rose whip, spirit gun, and spirit sword; and took a fighting stance. They were all here, but someone was missing. Where was-  
"Don't you fucking touch her!"  
A voice rang out, shattering the silence. I knew that voice, but why couldn't I place it? I was about to turn to search for the source, when I was grabbed from behind in a pair of crushing arms. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't move.  
"TSUKIYO!"  
That voice again...

I rose with a jolt in my bed, breathing heavily and covered in cold sweat. I was back in reality, the darkness of my room soothing my racing heart. The soft breeze from my ceiling fan sent a chill down my spine. Unwelcome goosebumps rose all over my body.

I inhaled, then exhaled deeply. I ran my fingers through my slightly tangled hair.

"That dream again..." I muttered to myself groggily, "It's always the same... why do I keep-"

Suddenly, a horrible shrieking sound began to erupt from next to me. I jumped, startled, and I swear my heart could have skipped a beat. I whirled around; it was just my alarm clock.

5:00 AM. Training started in an hour and a half. Time to get up and start getting ready. I let out an exhausted moan. The guys and I had been training for a week and two days straight now, no time could be wasted before the Dark Tournament.

I pushed my warm, heavenly blankets from my legs and stepped onto the cool wood floor, bidding farewell to the comfort of my bed. I walked to the closet in the dark, opening the doors and clicking on the small light, casting only a faint glow into the room.

Since it was about fifteen degrees cooler now outside, I grabbed a purple turtle neck shirt, a black vest, and a pair of faded blue jeans. I quickly reached up and snatched my brown leather gloves from the top shelf of the closet, and crept into the hallway of the sleepy house.

I tiptoed past the rooms of Keiko, Botan, and Yukina, envying them. I just wanted to sleep for another few hours...

I locked myself into the bathroom, imediately turning on the shower, letting the steam warm the room as I brushed my teeth. I peered into the mirror as it started fogging up, noticing the scrape on my chin, and slight black eye from training. I sighed, touching each minor wound gingerly.

I showered quickly, braided my hair, and got dressed.

Feeling a little more awake now, I made my way to the stairwell and headed down the stairs, into the living room. The sun still had not shown its face, so the house was still in shadows, minus the kitchen light which dimly lit the ground floor.

I yawned and plopped myself down on the couch, right next to a sleeping Yusuke. He was sprawled out on his back, one leg propped against the top of the sofa, and one arm hanging over his forehead. He was snoring loudly.

It wasn't long before he began to twitch in his sleep, a little bit of drool beginning to drip from the corner of his mouth. I made a face, and dodged his foot as he yanked it down from the top of the couch, curling into a ball. I sighed and stood back up, making my way into the kitchen where Kurama was making a pot of coffee. I greeted him good morning as I poured myself a bowl of cereal; Cocoa Rice Krispies, my favorite kind; and a glass of grape juice. I preffered it to orange or apple juice.

"Good morning to you, too," Kurama greeted me back, all too cheerful for so early in the morning. "Coffee? It'll be done in about two minutes."

"God, please," I moaned, taking my first bite of cereal and chewing it gingerly. My stomach never was good at accepting food before the crack of dawn... But I needed fuel for training.

Kurama chuckled, reaching for the cabinet above his head and pulling out two white coffee mugs.

The coffee pot made a cheerful 'ding' when it was done, and Kurama poured my cup first.

"Cream and sugar, Tsukiyo?" he asked with his back to me.

"Yes, please." I responded, now on my fourth bite of cereal. It was getting easier now. I took a sip of the grape juice just as Kurama set my mug of coffee in front of me. I thanked him and lifted it to my lips, the steam wafting about and warming my face. The first sip was hot, creamy and sweet... In other words, perfect. I let out a content sigh as I took another long sip.

Kurama sat across from me at the island and blew the steam away from his mug before he took the first sip. I noticed as he set the mug down, that he was drinking his coffee black. I crinkled my nose.

"How can you drink it like that?" I asked as I set my coffee aside and stirred my cereal around.

Kurama glanced over at me with that same small, warm smile. He shrugged.

"I don't know," He replied, "I always have. I'm just accustomed to it, I suppose."

"I could never get accustomed to black coffee," I shuddered, thinking about how bitter it tasted, "I need my cream and sugar."

Kurama laughed softly, and I noticed Kuwabara come stumbling down the stairs, collapsing in one of the big recliners. I could still hear Yusuke snoring from the couch, wondering if he had shifted his sleeping position yet. Kuwabara leaned his head on his right palm, and soon began a snoring orchestra with Mr. Urameshi. I sighed with a small smile and shook my head.

"Wait," I suddenly remembered we were missing someone... the most important person of all, to me at least, "Where's Hiei? Is he not up yet?"

"He's up," Kurama replied, "He was up way before me, around 3:30."

My jaw dropped.

"3:30?" I repeated, "Why so early?"

"Hiei's always been an early riser, not really much of a sleeper in the first place. He can go on only a couple hours per night. I don't know how he does it." Kurama finished his first cup of coffee and poured himself another.

"So... he left already?" I asked as I took another bite of cereal. The rice krispies were just a little soggy and had turned the milk a light chocolate color and flavor.

Kurama nodded in response as he sat back down, his coffee piping hot. I was only a third of the way through my first cup, not knowing if I'd need another.

"Yes, he left about an hour ago, right as I was on my way to the shower. I'm assuming he went to the training site already, to get an early start."

I looked down at my bowl, feeling a little bummed. I had wanted to at least see Hiei and say good morning, before we all had to start beating the hell out of each other for training purposes. Oh well, I'd just have to wait. I couldn't kiss him good morning anyway, or even give him a hug. Not in front of the guys, at least. So, I simply finished my bowl of cereal and coffee, deciding against a second cup, and continued my small talk with Kurama.

It was now 6:15 AM, and the sun was just barely beginning to peek out, turning the sky a mix of magenta and orange.

"I suppose we'd better get going." Kurama said as he glanced up at the kitchen clock, which was above the fridge. I nodded and stood up, placing all my dishes in the sink, after rinsing them out of course.

I waited by the back door as Kurama woke Yusuke and Kuwabara from their simultaneous slumber. Each of the grown men began whining like babies, asking for just five more minutes, as if they were being woke up to go to school.

Finally, after some coaxing from Kurama and a bribe to fix them their favorite dinner that evening; BBQ ribs, mashed potatos, and corn on the cob; Kuwabara and Yusuke reluctantly agreed to rise from the furniture, and drag themselves outside and towards to woods for training. Kurama and I followed close behind, walking past the lake and soon disappearing into the trees.

The air was bitterly chilly, and I was thankful I had decided on a turtle neck. I wrapped my arms around myself and rubbed my sides to warm up a bit more, hanging towards the back of the group. The morning sun was now beginning to peek through the tree branches, casting beams of glowing orange sunlight through the canopy. Everything was illuminated in a soft warm glow, and it really was beautiful.. I just wasn't a morning person.

Birds flapped through the trees, chirping their cheerful morning song. The boys were about a yard ahead of me, seemingly not noticing I was lagging behind a little.

Suddenly, a strange sound caught my attention... rustling in the branches above me and to my left. I stopped in my tracks, snapping my attention to that spot. The guys kept on walking, not having noticed I had stopped.

My golden colored eyes scanned the branches of the area around me. I could sense that someone or something was there, I just couldn't see them... or it. I felt goosebumps zing up and down my spine, knowing the feeling of being watched.

I furrowed my brow and narrowed my eyes, zeroing in on one spot, thinking maybe a saw something flash... a flash of blue...

"Tsukiyo!"

I jumped a bit at the sudden shout, and turned my attention back in front of me. Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara had stopped about 100 yards ahead of me and were now turned back looking at me. Yusuke was the one who had shouted, waving his left hand in the air to grab my attention, and cupping his right hand around his mouth to project his shouts.

"C'mon!" He called out to me again, "What are you doing back there?!"

"Uhh," I stammered, glancing back up into the branches once more, but seeing nothing, "I... I'm coming, sorry!"

I jogged up towards where they were, my sneakered feet making thuds against the cold, dewy grass. Maybe I had just imagined the sound... It was probably just a bunch of birds. But there was just something about the uncomfortable feeling of being watched that I couldn't shake..

-? POV-

The early morning air was frosty, nipping at my skin. I loved it.

The sun was just now beginning to rise, casting soft light through the dewy branches of the tree I had been sitting in for a few hours now, waiting.

Waiting for Team Urameshi to pass through the trees, which I knew they would be soon. I had seen one of their members, the short fire demon by the name of Hiei, pass through much earlier on. However, he wasn't my main concern. I was waiting for the girl... Tsukiyo.

Finally, just as I suspected, the remaining four members of the team passed through the lining of trees at approximately 6:25 AM. Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara... and Tsukiyo, tailing along at the very end. I could feel myself smirking as I silently leapt through the tree branches, keeping right up with them. I was unnoticed. Imbeciles.

Just as that thought had left my brain, the tree branch below my feet suddenly rattled, shaking the leaves a bit more violently than I had planned.

"Shit.." I muttered almost silently to myself, holding completely still... but my racket had been noticed.

Staring back out into the cleared path where the four were walking, I could see that Tsukiyo had stopped in her tracks, staring straight in my direction. I watched as she scanned the branches around me, even locking eyes with me at one point.. but she couldn't see me.

I remained silent, barely breathing. I could not be caught. I would fail my mission... and the results of that would not be any good for me, not in the least bit.

"Tsukiyo!" Someone finally called her name; Yusuke. He, as well as Kurama and Kuwabara, had stopped just a bit farther ahead, looking back towards the navy haired girl.

She turned her golden eyes back towards the group, and Yusuke continued to shout to her.

"C'mon!" His voice echoed a bit through the forrest, "What are you doing back there?!"

"Uhh.." Tsukiyo fumbled for her words, and her eyes made their way back up to me for just a split second more, "I... I'm coming, sorry!"

With that, she dashed off to join her teammates, never noticing my presense. I breathed a silent sigh of relief. That was definately a close call. Now I could continue carrying out my assigned task; spy on Team Urameshi's training session, and report back to base.

Being much more careful of my step this time around, I continued to silently stalk the group, making sure to keep just a little behind them.

Finally, they arrived to a large clearing in the middle of the trees, where the fire demon Hiei was already waiting. The team of five began to discuss training and strategy, and what needed to be worked on. I grinned to myself, knowing they were working their game plans for the upcoming tournament. Knowing their angles of attack was going to be an extreme advantage.

I watched from the trees for a while, maybe a couple of hours, as they sparred with each other, switching off pairs, and practicing multiple techniques. I focused the most on Tsukiyo and her abilities to control all four elements of Air, Water, Fire, and Earth.

One move she had administered to Yusuke Urameshi, which he just barely dodged, was the Tornado Fist... I was quite familiar with that move.

"Impressive, little girl.." I mumbled to myself with a smirk, just as she switched up her tactics and formed a blade of ice onto her arm.. another move I was all too familiar with, "You may just be a little more difficult to capture than I thought... but no need to worry about that now. It's not time yet.."

I continued to watch their training sessions, each of their attacks becoming more and more fine tuned and intense as they continued to rotate the battling pairs.

Around 9:00 AM when they decided to break and rest for a few minutes, the sun now shining brightly, I took that as a good signal to remove myself from the area... I had the information I needed. Now I just had to make it back to the portal between the Makai and the Ninjenkai, and report back to base to share what I knew.

-Later..-

"My lord," My voice erupted into the large castle corridor, causing a slight echoe, "I've returned."

Across the shiney marble floor of the corridor, a large golden throne sat perched atop a stone platform. In the throne, a powerful demon, S+ class, sat with his legs crossed, his chin propped on one hand. I kneeled before him, bowing my head.

"I see," The powerful demon replied in an eerily calm tone. He ran his free hand through his long royal purple locks, his silver eyes glinting in the darkness like a cat's eyes, "Have you anything useful for me?"

I grinned, knowing he would be pleased with what I had to tell him.

"Yes," I said calmly, "I believe you'll be pleased, Lord Kokoro.."

Kokoro smirked, his perfect smile showing. His kanines were slightly pointed, and pearly white.

"The girl...?" He asked, seeming more intrigued at this point, leaning forward and resting both elbows on his knees. His hair fell into his face.

"Strong." I replied simply, now looking upward at Lord Kokoro, but not moving from my kneeling position. "The Spirit Detectives have done well bringing her abilities out... I sense the Heart of the Elements radiating whenever she's near. She may be a bit more difficult to snag than we originally planned, but once we get our hands on her..."

"It will be well worth it.." Lord Kokoro finished my sentence, now leaning back in the throne and pressing his finger tips together. He chuckled lightly, "I'll extract the Spirit Energy from her body and have the Heart of the Elements at my disposle. Mine to control."

"Yes, sir." I agreed with the S class, nodding my head.

"And then, I'll make her my mate." Lord Kokoro's shiney teeth showed themselves again as he spoke these words, "The Makai will be in the palm of my hand... Soon after, the Spirit World and the Ninjenkai..." He began to chuckle evilly.

"I've also memorized their battle strategies, my lord," I added in, "They'll never stand a chance. They'll never know what's coming."

Lord Kokoro smirked, and looked me dead in the eyes.

"My, my.." He began, "I'm impressed. You may just be a great asset to my army after all... Toya."

I stood, bowing my head of icey blue hair before Lord Kokoro.

"Thank you, sir." I said to him, "My services are at your every command."

- To Be Continued - 


	25. Chapter 25

-Tsuskiyo's POV-

Training had gone pretty smoothly for our 10th day at it. The boys and I had spent almost the entire day working on our strategies and target practice, nightfall coming upon us faster than we had planned.

Our techniques were smooth and organized, but could still use some work... especially since I had earned an extra bruise on my right thigh when Kuwabara decided it would be a good idea to chuck a rock at me from afar during our spar.

I had demanded to know what the big idea was at the time, and his excuse was he couldn't fight me with his fists, it was against his "code" to never hit a woman... so he decided to hit me with rocks, instead. Oh, that Kuwabara..

Needless to say, I kicked his ass, because I wasn't afraid to fight him.

Now, it was late at night, and everyone was asleep. Well, except for me. I was a bit bummed, not having really seen, talked to, let alone hung out with Keiko, Yukina, or Botan in the past week. Training was taking over my life, and I was feeling like I was morphing into one of the guys.. I didn't really know how I felt about that. A girl's day out was much needed, and I made a mental note to mention this to the other girls in the house.

But, for now, I stared at my reflection in the mirror of my bedroom vanity, taking my hair out from it's braid. My usually stick straight hair now flowed in waves down my back, and I admired it, wishing it was that way naturally.

I changed from my clothes to an over sized black t-shirt that fit more like a short dress, a pair of gray thigh high socks, and some fuzzy slippers to keep my feet warm. I sighed in content, happy to be out of my jeans and turtle neck.

I sat on my bed, opening my bedside drawer. I removed a small bottle of Cherry Blossom scented lotion, and began to apply it to my arms and the exposed area of my legs. At first it was cool against my skin, but as my hands moved, the lotion warmed with the friction.

I replaced the lotion, and looked up at the ceiling. My fan revolved on the medium setting, casting a cool breeze through the room and wavering the curtains over my window a bit.

I was still feeling a bit strange about the incident in the forrest earlier... I knew I had heard something unusual, more than just birds. And I knew I was being watched that morning... but could it have just been a larger animal, like a raccoon? It was possible, but... Should I have told the guys? Would it have even made a difference?

I shook my head in an attempt to clear all these jumbled thoughts. It was probably nothing, I was just paranoid, It was only my imagination... one of those, at least. I'd have to just let it go, there was nothing I could do about it now. I sighed, wishing I would have taken more action at the moment it was happening, then maybe I'd have more answers...

I glanced over at my alarm clock on my nightstand; 2:01 AM, and for some reason I wasn't quite tired yet. But I knew a certain someone would still be up..

I knew I would regret it in three hours when I had to wake up and get right back at the training grind with the boys, but I couldn't help myself. I slipped out of my room into the dark hallway, and made my way to the boys wing, stalking silently through the shadows. No one was up, so I didn't know why I was trying to be so sneaky.. I guess it was just the feel of the moment.

Soon I arrived in front of Hiei's door, glancing around just to make triple sure no one was up and about in the house, remembering the night I had walked out of Hiei's room only to become face to face with the eavesdropping pair, Yusuke and Kuwabara.

The cost was clear, and I could see a soft light illuminating from under the crack of Hiei's door. His desk lamp, he was awake for sure.

I knocked softly once, waited, then twice more. Our code.

I stood back, waiting. I heard Hiei's footsteps grow closer to the door, eyeing his shadow under the crack. My stomach fluttered... I felt like a childish school girl, crushing on the star quarter back... sort of... but, I didn't care. It felt so good, and at the same time so exciting to have a secret kept from the whole house, although at times it was difficult to keep on the down low.

The door creaked open, and there stood Hiei... shirtless, wearing only a pair of baggy black sweatpants, hanging low on his hips, and the usual wrap up his arm that still puzzled me. I felt myself blush, but didn't try to hide it.

"Hi," I greeted him quietly, putting my hands behind my back and smiling.

"What are you doing up," He asked me in his flat tone of voice, "You should be sleeping. Training begins again in four hours."

"I know, I'm just not tired for some reason.." I replied to him meekly, "I wanted to come visit you before bed.. can I come in?"

Hiei just looked into my eyes for a moment, raising an eyebrow slightly. Finally, he stepped aside, holding the door open for me, not saying a word. My stomach fluttered once more as I walked into the room, the sexy fire demon silently shutting the door behind me. I sat on his bed, taking a look around the familiar black and red themed room. On his desk, Hiei had his katana unsheathed, and it glinted in the light of his desk lamp. Beside the blade sat the sharpening stone, a rag, and a small bottle of stainless steel polish.

"You really are serious about the upkeep of that katana, aren't you?" I asked Hiei as he made his way back into the chair, sitting in it backwards with his legs on either side of it, and his muscular arms propped on the back rest.

"Only the sharpest of blades can slice through the thickest of necks, Tsuki." Hiei replied darkly, an evil smirk curving his lips. My cheeks became rosey again.

"...Okay that was just a little creepy." I admitted to the fire demon as I gave him a strange look. But I couldn't help but smile, the man was giving me a case of the butterflies like I'd never had before.

"Hn." Hiei grunted, the smirk still plastered on his face, he closed his eyes for a moment then reopened them. They seemed brighter and more vibrant red. "You really should be asleep."

"Hey," I countered, crossing my arms over my chest, "I'm a big girl. I'll be fine. You've obviously never pulled an all nighter for a final exam, have you?"

Hiei stared at me blankly, narrowing his eyes just a bit.

"Right, you're a demon.." I reminded myself dumbly, "Never went to High School... touche. I still forget my life isn't exactly normal anymore."

I noticed Hiei's eyes had dropped down a bit lower, staring at my exposed legs. My stomach jumped, I had forgotten I had only put on a t-shirt.. at least it was long enough to cover my underwear.. I shifted to try and cover my exposed skin, and Hiei's eyes drifted back up to mine.

"Why are you hiding?" He asked me suddenly, and I stammered for a response.

"Well, it's just, you know..." I had no idea what words to even begin to put together to explain myself, "I... kinda forgot what I was wearing when I came to your room... I guess I should have put some pants on.. Heh.."

By now my face was burning red, deeper than the color of Hiei's firey crimson orbs. I rubbed the back of my neck in a sheepish, fidgety manor.

"I don't know what you're making such a fuss about.." Hiei began to speak softer, his voice husky. I felt a strange feeling deep in the pit of my stomach, "The only thing I would change is those atrocious things on your feet... looks like road kill."

He motioned to my classic white bunny slippers on my feet and I scowled at him.

"My bunny slippers are not roadkill," I said to him defensively, "They're cute... and they keep my feet warm."

"No," Hiei came back at me, rising from the chair, "They're not 'cute'".

I huffed and glared at my new boyfriend... it was still strange to think of him as my 'boyfriend'. I was about to snap back another defense to my poor slippers, when Hiei's hand suddenly reached toward my face. My words caught in my throat as he gently tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, and I forgot all about the slippers. I only stared into his eyes, which seemed much softer now.

"But," Hiei spoke softly, his voice sounding a bit different, "What I do think is cute... is you, when you get mad at me like that."

"H-huh...?" I stammered, "Did you just say... you think I'm cute...? Usually all you call me is "onna".."

Hiei didn't say another word for that moment, just stood up and made his way to the foot of the bed, standing in front of me. He leaned down, his face close to mine, I could feel the warmth of his breath against my face. He placed one hand on either side of me. I gulped.

"Hiei..?" I squeeked out meekly, my heart pounding in my ears. I swear he could have heard it himself.

"Don't you realize, onna.." He spoke, smirking on the emphasis of the word 'onna' "To me, you're much more than just cute..."

He planted his lips softly on my cheek, trailing towards my ear. Goosebumps rose all over my entire body. This was definately a new side to Hiei I'd never seen before..

"It takes a lot to catch my interest," He continued in my ear, his voice soft and husky, "But somehow you've managed to do it... I don't know exactly what it is about you, Tsukiyo, but..."

His voice trailed off as his hand trailed up, up to the based of my neck, stroking my skin with his thumb.

"I just..." He spoke, then paused, "... I'm just not sure what to make of it. But what I do know is I can't get enough of you.. your sight, your smell," He paused to inhale slightly, causing me to blush and squirm a bit, "Even though you annoy me and piss me off at times... It's just more of a reason that makes me drawn to you. And it doesn't help much when you show up at my bedroom door dressed the way you are..."

I stared at Hiei wide eyed, shocked by this sudden confession of emotion. Where was the cold Hiei I met on the first day I moved here? Well, he was still there, he was always there, that was just who he was... But it was like he was letting a whole new hidden personality out now, morphed with his usual stone cold hardass image.. and it was making my entire body tingle.

I gasped a bit as Hiei moved upward, placing one knee on the bed, causing me to have to scoot upward. This motion continued, Hiei crawling over top of me, and I scooting back further and further, until my head hit the pillow. Hiei smirked from above me.

"I thought that might work.." He whispered, leaning down, "Now... you're right where I want you..."

Before I knew it, I was locked in a gentle, but fiery and passionate, kiss with Hiei. My stomach felt as if it might explode, along with my racing heart, as this incredibly sexy man slid one of his strong arms under my back, gently lifting it upwards so my body was pressed against his. I could feel his natural warmth through my shirt. For a moment, my body tensed up... This was moving very quickly. But all my body told me to do was wrap my arms around his neck, and kiss him... I just kept kissing him, his soft lips moving effortlessly against mine.

Hiei broke his lips away from mine, kissing down my jaw line and to the base of my ear, just below my ear lobe. I let out the softest groan I could manage. Hiei's grip tightened on me.

"Hnn.." He growled into my ear, "Don't make those sounds... Unless you want me to draw blood.." He nipped at the soft skin of my neck in a teasing mannor, and I bit my lip to supress anymore groans or whimpers. I felt him chuckle slightly against my neck, sounding just a bit sinister.

His lips stayed where they were, brushing back and forth agaisnt my neck, causing me to shiver and squirm the slightest bit at every touch. When I felt his hand grasp my calf and begin to travel up my thigh, my body tensed up. Hiei paused and removed his lips from my neck.

He looked into my eyes, and I could feel nervousness flooding them. Hiei's eyes became a bit soft and he removed his hand from my leg, placing it instead on my check, brushing a loose strang of my hair away.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, feeling as if I'd ruined this sudden romantic moment, "I'm just... not ready for that yet... Too fast."

Hiei smirked again, I was getting used to this sight, and I quite liked it... I figured I might not want to get used to it, however. Hiei could change his mood in a heartbeat, and stick with it for days.

"We have plenty of time.." He informed me, "If this works the way we plan.. it will happen when you're ready, if you ever decide. I won't rush you... you just let me know when the time is right."

I smiled. I never knew he could care so much and be so considerate. If it was so hard to catch Hiei's interest like he said... well then, I must just be one hell of a lucky girl.

"Thanks, Hiei.." I ran my hands through his hair, and I could tell he enjoyed it, closing his eyes and leaning in just a bit. "If only every guy could be like you."

He opened one eye and looked at me suspicously.

"I'll kill any other male, human or demon, that tries anything like what I'm trying with you." He said solumnly, his voice returning to that cold, stoney tone. I giggled at his sudden change of emotion.

"Relax, that's not what I meant.. no one else is trying to make me their mate... yet." I wiggled my eyebrows jokingly at him and he rolled his eyes, looking at me sharply after the last park. I giggled and assured him I was only kidding.

"Fortunately, after the first time that... event takes place," HIei spoke slowly, seeming to be careful with his choice of words, "No other male will touch you... you'll be marked."

I blinked up at him, confused.

"Marked..?" I asked quizically, "The hell..?"

He brushed my hair aside and circled a spot on my neck near the nape with his finger. I shivered a bit.

"Here. With my teeth... I'll have to pierce your skin." He said, his voice becoming flat again.

I scrunched up my nose.

"That sounds painful..." I said, rubbing the spot where he had circled.

"It will sting a bit," Hiei informed me, "But it's over quick. But like I told you before... Once I've marked you, you're mine. Think long and hard about this.. and don't be afraid to tell me if you've decided against it."

I hushed him by placing my index finger to his lips, then quickly replacing my finger with my own lips for a soft kiss. The fire demon leaned in, seeming to become a little more comfortable with intimate relations.

"I won't ever decide against it.." I whispered to him, "The time just has to be right... Then I'll gladly bear your mark... Until then, I'm not looking for anyone else, and no one else is going to try and make any moves on me, believe it.. I'm all yours."

With those words being spoken, Hiei nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck, and I wrapped my arms around him. We lay like this for what seemed like hours, until finally Hiei peeled himself away and looked at the clock.

"As much as I enjoy your company, especially at this time of night," He began to speak, "It's nearly 3 AM. You need to go to bed."

With that, he pushed himself off me, and extended his hand to help me up. I pouted at him, giving him my saddest eyes.

"Don't give me that look." He scolded me. "Up. You've got to sleep and I've got to leave."

"Leave?" I questioned as I sat up and took his hand. He pulled me gently to my feet, "Aren't you going to sleep at all..?"

"I don't need sleep." He informed me as he led me to the door, giving me one last kiss. "You on the other hand need to be able to perform at your highest ability, and at this time of morning that's already been tarnished."

I sighed, realizing he was right. I needed to at least get an hour of sleep, and that alone wouldn't be enough. When 5:00 rolled around, I knew I'd be a zombie, and I'd hate myself for staying up all night.. but my romance with Hiei had been much worth it.

As quietly as possible, Hiei opened his door, and I stepped out. I gave him a "good-bye" look, and he did the same, slowly shutting the door as I made my way back down to the girls wing. I yawned sleepily, and tried not to bump into any furniture.

I made it back to my room safe and sound, unseen... or so I thought.

From downstairs in the kitchen, a pair of green eyes had seen me come and go from room to room... and had discoverd my secret.

-To Be Continued-  



End file.
